


One day you'll meet a tall, dark stranger

by Sakurau121



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7770364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakurau121/pseuds/Sakurau121
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Frozen. Elsa is ruling Arendelle peacefully but in comes Prince Theobald from the Southern Isles, here to amend his kingdom's relationship with Arendelle. As kind-hearted as he is, his umkempt state, patheticness and lack of nobility does not impress Elsa. At least, not at first. But is everything as it seems? Could he actually be something a lot more dangerous? The story of how Elsa obtained her powers, and well as exploration of the royal family of the Southern Isles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ever since the day Anna had kissed Kristoff, things had become more and more awkward between them. Due to various celebrations, trade openings and monarch duties happening all across Arendelle, Anna had not been able to see Kristoff frequently enough to discuss their…. Well, their relationship. God, just thinking about it made her nervous. Kristoff made her nervous, which meant creating the right time and place to talk about everything all the more difficult.

It was fine summer's evening when Elsa and Anna finally returned to the Palace after a long day out attending the Arendelle Parade, and Anna, exhausted from smiling and waving for twelve hours, went straight into her room in order to change out of her ridiculously tight corset and into something more comfortable. As she sat on her bed changing, she wondered what Kristoff actually meant to her… What was he...A boyfriend? But they had never discussed that sort of thing before. Lovers? No, that sounded too melodramatic. Friends? Well, of course they were friends, but friends don't kiss, at least she didn't think so. Fiancee? No, he hadn't proposed. Best friend? He would have to settle that with Elsa, if he could.

Anna sighed before falling on to her bed. All this uncertainty was making her jittery and nervous, and the truth was ever since they had kissed, all she had felt was severe confusion. She had enjoyed the kiss, no, possibly more than that and of course, she had let him kiss her, but soon afterwards Olaf had interrupted and she suddenly felt really nervous and announced that she had to go back to the castle, avoiding Kristoff's gaze completely and walking away as fast as she could. Actually, now that she thought about, she more or less sprinted. Why had she done that?! Why did she have to go and mess up a perfectly beautiful moment?!

After that, the only times they had had the chance to talk were during social conventions, where there were other people, and they had discussed their… well, whatever it was. Anna and Elsa on the other hand had stuck together like velcro since the day summer returned, and Anna was sure that Elsa still felt a little uncertain about Kristoff. Anna could understand Elsa's slight distrust of men, and indeed Anna herself had learned her lesson to be more cautious, thanks to Hans. But how much was too cautious?

Anna groaned into her pillow before pulling herself up. Enough. Who cared if she looked like a mess? Who cared if she was sleepy and her legs felt like lead? She would go and speak to Kristoff and set things straight. The tension between them was becoming unbearable.

As Anna walked down the hallway, contemplating on what to say to Kristoff, she suddenly slammed her face painfully into a rather large object, causing her to stumble backwards. She nearly fell off her feet but was caught just in time by a pair of foreign hands which grabbed her by the waist. She glanced upwards, short of breath, to thank her saviour…

It was Hans!

"Get - your - hands - off of me!" she yelled, releasing herself from his grip as she fell to the ground.

"Ahh, ouch," she started moaning, rubbing her lower back as she clumsily stood up. Hans had started rambling, but unsurprisingly she hadn't been listening to his apologies due to her painful backside.

"I am so sorry Madam, I am so sorry," came Han's voice, a little desperate and high-pitched, "I had no idea, I'm so silly, my sincerest apologises, I never look where I'm going, I'm afraid it's a most terrible trait of mine. Is there anything that I could to help ease the pain, ice perhaps, oh, or perhaps your sister, she could help with that, or perhaps something else? I could go get her straight away if you so wish! I am so terribly sorry!"

All this was said in such haste that it caused Anna to stop rubbing her back and pause for a moment to think. Hans didn't talk like that, he would never apologise in such a pitiful way and the voice wasn't right, and besides, she swore this man hadn't taken a breath since he started apologising!

Anna slowly glanced up towards the man in front of her. A second later, she eyes widened and she gasped.

True, one could easily mistake this man for Hans. He had the same chin, same hair colour, same sort of build, but upon closer inspection one could see that he had softer features that were less defined, grey eyes which seemed kinder and little less round, hair that looked very unkempt compared to Hans', which was always perfectly in place, and he had the most worried expression that Anna had ever seen on anyone's face. He could rival Elsa's neuroticism. But only just.

He also looked terribly nervous and hunched up, which was probably why he seemed so small, his hands clammy as he wondered where to look.

Anna nearly burst out laughing. He didn't look like a member of the Monarchy, apart from his dress, but even that seemed a little sloppy. He seemed to have no sense of pride or nobility at all. Anna smiled, noticed that they had a similar trait.

"You couldn't possibly be a prince from the Southern Isles, could you?" asked Anna slowly, narrowing her eyes in a humorous way.

The young man looked up at Anna, before smiling and sighing in relief.

"Indeed, I am, Your Majesty, despite my appearance um," he proceeded to clear his throat and stand up a little straighter, revealing his true height, "I am Prince Theobald, the second youngest from the Southern Isles. People don't usually recognise or notice me, no surprise really, I have so many brothers and am basically regarded as a bit of an embarrassment by my family."

He laughed nervously but freezing on the spot.

"My god, here I am discussing my silly life when I should be helping you! Would you like me to fetch your sister?"

"Oh no, oh no, there's no need for that, I'm perfectly fine, it's just that I thought you were your brother, Hans, you looked a bit similar at first-"

"Oh yes, my brother," replied the prince with a little chuckle before his smile quickly disappeared and his eyes lost their lightness. Anna could swear she could see hints of fury and contempt in them.

"Yes, my…. my disgraced brother. I apologise from the bottom of heart for all the pain and suffering that he caused your kingdom, but more importantly for the damage he caused your sister and, and especially you."

This surprised Anna a little, his mood had changed so quickly, and she had not anticipated it. He spoke in such a dark and serious tone, his face ridden of all light-heartedness, a complete contrast to how he was before.

"So," said Anna nervously, unsure what to say. He seemed in earnest but she felt something slightly dangerous resonate from him. Then she remembered the obvious. "If you don't mind me asking, may I ask why you are here?"

For a moment, the prince looked up, confusion in his eyes before smiling and returning to his previous state.

"I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I was somewhere else there for a moment. Why am I here, did you ask? Well, as you can probably imagine, my kingdom has fallen from grace since my brother's disastrous behaviour, many countries have closed trade with us and in order to reestablish ourselves, the King and my brothers decided to renew our relationship with your kingdom. Why they decided that sending me as representative would be a good idea is beyond my understanding but.. Well, anyway, I arrived today and was on my way to see Queen Elsa when… well, I bumped into you!"

Anna frowned. Elsa had never mentioned a visit from a prince, and surely she would have mentioned it to her if it was one from the Southern Isles.

"I see… Well, I'm afraid Elsa never mentioned your coming here, but I'm sure there's a reason why! Elsa will probably be here at dinner. If you like, you can join us as a guest and introduce yourself then?"

"Oh, well, I mean, are you- are you sure? Would she not feel a little uncomfortable with a stranger at her table?" asked the prince hesitantly, his pitifully neurotic expression returning.

"Well, I'm the Princess, and I can invite people just as my sister can, so I really don't see any reason why you can't come, unless of course, you'd rather meet her tomorrow-"

"Oh, not at all, I would be delighted, it's just that, given the recent past, I thought maybe she might not appreciate my attendance-"

"Then what better way to improve things! You should start as soon as possible!" said Anna brightly and enthusiastically, stretching her arms wide.

The prince stared at Anna in admiration before replying, "Princess Anna, you might just be the most forgiving and empathic person I have ever had the good fortune to meet."

"I know," said Anna, shaking her head as she smiled goofily. "Always been my problem. So you'll come?"

"Do I really have a choice?" asked Theobald humourously with a small friendly smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

"Errrr, no, I guess you don't!" said Anna before giggling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Down in the stables, Sven and Kristoff were restocking ice. They hadn't since Elsa or Anna since before the week of Parades, and Kristoff hadn't seen Anna for two weeks due to her commitments. Things between them were awkward and Kristoff still couldn't understand why Anna had run off like that, after the…. He blushed, tensing up before returning to his work. Had she not liked it? Did his breath stink, was that it? On their way back from the woods, passers-by informed them that the monarchs had returned home. Kristoff had thought of going to see Anna, but then realised that she was probably very tired and in need of rest.

Fireworks went off outside the stables, the sky elumanated by different colours as they worked.

Kristoff let out a huge sigh as he pulled the last block of ice out of his sleigh and stacked it up with the others. In the past, this had been his favourite part of the job, seeing the results of a day's hard work. Now, he couldn't care less. All he could think about was Anna. Anna, Anna, Anna. And it was infuriating.

"What can't I think about anything else?" he stammered in a loud voice unexpectedly, causing Sven to jump.

"Sorry buddy," said Kristoff apologetically to Sven before tiding up his tools. "I think I'm just tired."

"Then perhaps I should come back tomorrow?" came a familiar voice from behind. Kristoff froze, staring at Sven. Sven had dropped his mouth, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Anna?" said Kristoff, turning around to look outside the stable. Sure enough, there was Anna, standing there with a smile on her face, her arms crossed casually. But she wasn't wearing a dress. Well, not what she usually wore anyway. This seemed looser and dare he say, sort of alluring… He had never seen a girl wearing what she was wearing before. Well, Kristoff wasn't quite sure what is was, but he hoped it wasn't what he hoped- no, thought it was.

"Hey," said Anna nervously, proceeding to cross her arms tighter, her body tensing up, realising that he was staring at her, at her nightwear. "I- I thought you'd be here."

"Anna…" said Kristoff, a glazed expression on his face. Then he frowned.

"What are you wearing?"

"Do you not like it?" asked Anna in desperation after a weird pause, fear in her eyes. "The thing is, I was wearing something else but then I bumped into a prince and then I thought, no, I should make a bigger impression so I went back and changed, and I don't know, I thought you'd like it, and I felt I should try and make myself as clear as possible, and I know you probably haven't seen a nightgown before but-"

"Wait, hang on," interrupted Kristoff, turned swiftly around in panic. "Anna, are you telling me that you walked all the way down here, through the castle, wearing only… that?!"

"Er, yes," said Anna hesitantly, wincing. He was angry, she could tell.

"Why would you do that?"

"For you of course!" cried Anna, stamping into the stable. "I haven't seen you in weeks, and ever since our- our- our kiss," both blushed at this point, "all you've done is ignored me. You've never said anything about - anything!"

"Anna," said Kristoff gruffly, turned to glare at her, "you were the one who made things awkward. Do you have any idea how I felt as you ran away from me as if I was Marshmellow? I felt like an idiot, I thought you resented me!"

"Well, why didn't you say something?" retorted Anna, waving her hands around aimlessly. "You had plenty of chances!"

"And what, make more of a moron out of myself?! Anna, for the past few weeks, all I've felt is embarrassment! I don't belong here, socialising with princes and snobs, I don't deserve-"

"Now don't you talk about being underserving mister!" said Anna, pointing a finger at him.

By now Anna was standing right in front of him, and as Kristoff was much taller than her, she had to tilt her face quite up in order to look him in the eyes. As Kristoff took a breath to argue back, his gaze landed below her face, at her…. well, her bosom. But she wasn't wearing…

"Anna!" yelled Kristoff, wide-eyed, turning around once again.

"What, what is it now?" asked Anna angrily, not noticing his obvious embarrassment.

"Anna," asked Kristoff wearily, blood pumped furiously through his veins, "are you- you said you were wearing a night gown."

"Ye-s," replied Anna, frowning.

"Are you wearing any underthings?"

Anna gasped. "Oh my god!" she shrieked, covering herself with her arms. "Did you see - I hadn't thought of that."

"What do you mean you hadn't thought of that?" asked Kristoff hoarsely in disbelief.

"Well, I thought I should look sexier so I- I'm sorry if I upset you." There was a sadness in her voice.

Kristoff sighed before turning around slowly, looking above Anna's head.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, it's just that, you should protect yourself Anna, or your modesty at least. I thought you'd have learned that from Hans," said Kristoff gently and sympathetically, a tone of voice Anna had rarely heard.

"I know, I know, it's just that, I'm desperate and all I've thought about since you kissed me is you kissing me, and I can't get it out of my head. I thought disliked me for running off and I was afraid.."

"Afraid of what?" asked Kristoff gently, slowly looking down at her again.

"Afraid of losing you," said Anna quietly, tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

"Oh Anna," said Kristoff with a subtle smile, staring at her deeply for the first time. It had to be said, she was beautiful. Especially in the moonlight. "You could never lose me. You'll always have me, right here," he said, before placing palm on her heart.

Two loud shrieks suddenly came from the stables.

Anna and Kristoff both leaped from each other.

"Oh my god Anna, I wasn't meant to- I'm so sorry-"

"No, no, I know, I just, I just haven't been touched-"

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING!"

Both Kristoff and Anna froze on the spot. Then they turned.

Outside the once peaceful Arendelle was swept up in a full blizzard. Elsa stood at the entrance of the stable. She was absolutely fuming with anger.

"Elsa, this isn't what you think," said Anna timidly.

"To hell it is," replied Elsa dangerously, before glaring at Kristoff. "You and me need to talk. NOW."

Kristoff proceeded to follow Elsa outside, swallowing hard. As he glanced back at Anna, an apologetic expression on his face, he saw the exact same reflected on hers. Well, at least they knew they didn't hate each other, and that was enough for now. But he was in deep shit. Deep shit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Elsa had noticed that Anna seemed very jittery during dinner and that she kept looking towards the door. No doubt that she was worried about Kristoff, but when Elsa had questioned him about why he had happened to have his hand on her sister's breast, she quickly realised that his intentions were, in actual fact, entirely honourable and that it had actually been Anna who had refused to protect her modesty. Elsa sighed as she undid her long braid and changed into her nightgown. Sometimes she wondered whether Anna had learnt anything at all from her experience with Hans…

In the room opposite, Anna sighed in disappointment as she wondered why Prince Theobald had not appeared at dinner. It probably had had something to do with Kristoff, but perhaps he had noticed the blizzard outside and had taken it as a sign that Elsa was not in the best of moods to receive unfamiliar company, especially that of a man. As Anna peered outside her window, she noticed that the storm had in fact calmed down, and that above, there was only the usual clear night sky. Anna frowned as she returned to her bed. She wondered what Kristoff had told her sister to make the blizzard to stop…

"I see that you have arrived safely."

"Ye-s, yes, indeed I have."

"And Queen Elsa?"

"I have yet to meet her."

"Hmm. Your progress is slow, you must make haste."

"Why?"

"That is none of your concern Theobald. The only thing you must concentrate on is earning the Queen's favour. At least, for now."

"I still don't understand why you thought that sending me would be a good idea. Why would she look me? Or even consider me?"

"You're unassuming."

"Exactly! I'm the last person you'd would expect to earn the Queen's attention."

"Yes…. Exactly."

…

As Elsa sat in the throne room, staring melancholically at the portrait of her parents, a knock came on the door.

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes?"

Elsa's top advisor entered hastily, a little afraid of disturbing the Queen's solitude, especially given the news he had to bring.

"Good morning Your Majesty. I would not have disturbed you if it had not been urgent. You see, the is a young prince from the Southern Isles here, requesting an audience with you. It appears that he is here on behalf of his brothers to apologise for things concerning the past. Of course, if you would prefer it, I can send him right-"

"There'll be no need for that. You may send him right in, just give me a moment."

The advisor stared at the demure Queen, who was standing elegantly by the window, her back turned to him. He was slightly stunned by her passive response.

"Right, of- of course Ma'am." And with that, the advisor left, closing the door carefully behind him.

Elsa let out a huge jagged gasp before turning around and starting to pace the floor. As she paced up and down the throne room, she started to notice frost appearing on the floor. She cried out in frustration. A Prince from the Southern Isles?! Now she finally understood Anna's agitation yesterday! Why hadn't she mentioned this to her? Much good it would do now though, this Prince whoever he was would be walking through the doors any minute now… No! No, calm down, calm down, remember, you are the Queen, he is a Prince, he has come to apologise, remember, you have the advantage.

Elsa breathed in deeply before sitting down on her throne, her posture upright and poised. She breathed out.

What if he was like Hans… What if he was intimidating and started blackmailing her… What if he was dangerous… What if he-

The doors open at the side, and the advisor appeared once more.

"Presenting His Royal Highness, Prince Theobald of the Southern Isles."

Elsa braced herself inwardly.

"Oh, do I walk in now? Is she there? Just one bow? One bow. Oh, ok, ok."

At first, Elsa thinks this is a joke. Perhaps it was Anna's idea of making her laugh first thing in the morning.

Because the man who had just entered the room could not possibly be a royal . As he walked in clumsily, back hunched over, eyes darting nervously here and there (it was a rather large throne room to be fair), hair unkempt and attire generally scruffy, despite his uniform, Elsa struggled to get to grips with the sight in front of her. As the advisor announced his name again, the prince now bowing in front of her, she noticed how his face reminded her of Hans. They had the same hair colour, same height, same sort of face. Elsa's sarcastic smile disappeared.

…..

"She's ready to see you."

"Sorry?" stammered Theobald, who was trying to rub the sweat off his hands. God, why was he so nervous!

"Queen Elsa is in the throne room sir," said the advisor, staring at the prince in a slightly disgruntled way. The man looked way too scruffy and disorganised to be able to deserve a private audience with the queen.

"Oh, I see, well then, we mustn't keep her waiting," said Theobald, a little too brightly, before clearing his throat nervously and gesturing the advisor to lead the way.

They did not walk too long before they approached a double door decorated considerably more than the others that they had passed.

"Are you ready sir?" asked the advisor, his hands already on the handles.

"As ready as I'll ever be," muttered Theobald.

The doors opened. The advisor announced his name. Silence.

Was she even in there?

The advisor was now glaring at him.

"Oh, do I walk in now? Is she there? Just one bow? One bow. Oh, ok, ok," whispered Theobald, noticing how the advisor's eyes were now starting to bulge out.

Big breath, come on, you can do this. She won't freeze you to death, don't be so silly you wally. Move, go! MOVE YOUR FEET.

Theobald entered the throne room. It was much bigger than he had imagined. As he looked around, he tried to figure out where Queen Elsa was. He turned as the sound of a rustle. He felt his heart drop as he took in the scene in front of him. No freezing needed, he was already frozen. He never knew that a word such as beautiful could sound so dull and trivial. That's what everyone said, "Elsa the beautiful Snow Queen". She was beautiful alright but the word was hardly justice to the truth. As she glittered in the morning sunlight, she sat with such poise and stillness that Theobald had not initially noticed her. She seemed to exert this sense of nobility and elegance, the two things that he lacked the most.

He approached her as smoothly as he could, but failed miserably by tripping on the carpet on his way up the steps. Finally, as he stood before her, he noticed just how enchanting she really was. She wore a smile which seemed to hint that she was amused by him. Catching her eye, he felt his cheeks become red, so he quickly bowed as low as he possibly could before lifting his head again. For a moment, it seemed as though she had registered something and suddenly her smile was completely gone. It had been replaced by a cold, bitter sort of gaze that made him shiver. He stepped down a step.

"So, you are Prince Theobald of the Southern Isles."

Her voice was melodious too, thought Theobald helplessly.

"Indeed, I am."

"And which prince are you specifically?" asked Elsa passively.

"I am the second youngest brother. The youngest you of course know. He is indeed the reason why I have journeyed all this way. I have come, as representative of my family, to make amends with your kingdom, and your family."

"You?" blurted Elsa, before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened. How could she be so rude?

"Er, yes, I completely understand your dismay. In fact, I reciprocate it!" said Theobald with a hasty laugh. "I am the least prince-like of my brothers unfortunately, and indeed am considered an embarrassment."

"That is not very noble of you," said Elsa dismissively, unconsciously turning her chin slightly up. Have you no sense of pride or self-worth?"

"Of course, just not in this area," said Theobald with frown. Elsa may be beautiful but she also seemed to be a bit of a snob. He couldn't quite believe this Queen could be sisters with such a genuinely nice person such as Anna.

"Then I do wonder why your brothers decided to send you to Arendelle…"

Elsa stared at the odd prince with narrowed eyes when suddenly the doors burst open.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Yes? What it is?" asked Elsa with concern, seeing the adviser panting, clearly out of breath.

"It's Princess Anna Ma'am. She has been climbing up the roof again to see the ships. I'm afraid she's stuck!"

"What do you mean stuck?!"

"Her leg is trapped through a loose tile Ma'am. Kristoff is in the mountains so we have no way of reaching him!"

"Where is she?" asked Theobald with a firm directness which made Elsa blink twice. Where had that come from?

"Near the tower sir."

"Have you got any rope?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Prince Theobald, would it not be wise to ask someone else to rescue Anna? You do not look exactly-" started Elsa with agitation.

"Looks can be deceiving Ma'am. I may be from the Southern Isles, but it does not necessarily mean that I have spend all my life there," said Theobald with a certain firmness. In secret, he hated it when people doubted his capabilities.

"I prefer the mountains."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Without another word, the three left the throne room and sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs to the highest porch. As they stepped outside, they saw a crowd of people at the bottom shouting words of assurance, along with some who were now protesting inaudibly to Elsa, Theobald and the adviser. Elsa looked up at the sound of Anna's voice. Her eyes widened as she saw Anna muttering to herself in self-assurance as she clung to the roof, her foot stuck between two loose tiles. Below her was a wooden scaffold which she must have used to climb up on to the roof. Elsa paused to think.

"Do you think it could be possible to pull scaffold down?"

"Of course-"

"That would take too long," interrupted Theobald bluntly, much to the dislike of the adviser.

"Sir, it is the only logical-" started Elsa in annoyance but she found that she was conversing with thin air. "Prince Theobald? Prince Theobald!"

The Prince had already left the balcony and started climbing up the roof, using his sword in between the tiles to pull himself up. He sighed nervously. It had looked a lot easier down by the balcony. Why did he have to go and be so idiotic, dropping all sense of logic because some adviser and his poncy majesty thought he was worthless!

"What on earth does he think he's doing?" protested the adviser. "He's going to get hurt!"

Below, the audience were cheering, although some of them were slightly confused, murmuring to each other that the mysterious man looked strangely like the villainous Prince Hans who had nearly killed the Queen and her sister only a few months before.

Up on the roof, Anna was still trying to pull her foot out, to no avail.

"Don't panic Anna, it's alright, someone will come, don't worry, you silly girl, you silly, silly, stupid, you must be the most stupid person in the world-"

"Don't worry Your Highness, I'll have you down in no time at all!"

Wait, she recognised that voice.

"Theobald!" she said with relief, looking down to see the prince climbing up the roof. "Be careful!"

But soon Anna's expression of relief turned to shock. As she looked down at the crowd of spectators, she recognised a reindeer and certain mountain man. And while the majority of the crowd was cheering, this man certainly was not cheering. Nor was he smiling.

"ANNA!" bellowed Kristoff, hardly believing what he was seeing. He leaves her for one morning and already she's trying to kill herself. And who was climbing- HANS!

Without another word, Kristoff started to sprint through the crowd.

"Anna, I'm going to pull your foot out but this means you will probably fall, so I need you to hold on to this sword okay?"

By now Theobald had reached Anna, and was beside Anna, sticking the sword between two tiles.

"Okay," said Anna, gripping on to the handle, as the prince pulled her leg out, causing two tiles to fall. The crowd gasped.

"It's okay, it's okay," said Theobald reassuringly, although inside he was as nervous as a hapless dog. "Right… Now how am I going to get you down to the scaffold?" he murmured helplessly.

Down below, Elsa sighed in impatience. "That's it, I'm not going to just stand here while that ponsy idiot tries to show off-" she said, pulling up her sleeves.

"You- your Majesty?" stammered the adviser as Kristoff immerged on to the balcony.

"What the hell is going on here?" he exclaimed as he looked up at Anna and Hans who were both holding on to the sword.

Elsa proceeded to climb up on to the highest point of the balcony before aiming towards the roof and creating a thick sheet of powder snow.

"That should do it."

"Anna, Anna, look down!" said Theobald. "Crawl down carefully, you shouldn't slip now."

Anna smiled inwardly. Elsa had created snow to help them…

Anna and Theobald both climbed down the roof slowly before stepping on to the scaffold and pulling it down to the balcony, where Elsa, the adviser and Kristoff were waiting.

As Anna climbed off the scaffold, she stared gingerly at the scene in front of her.

Her sister was clearly displeased, upset that Anna had put herself in danger. The adviser was muttering all sorts of nonsense about whether she had been hurt or not.

"I'm so sorry Elsa," said Anna, staring pleadingly at her sister.

Elsa simply gave Anna a hardened stare before hugging her tightly, smiling in relief as she tried to fight back tears.

"Just don't you dare do that again, okay?"

"Okay, I'm so sorry."

As Anna opened her eyes, she turning rigid.

"Anna," said Elsa, frowning before letting her go. "What is it?"

She followed Anna's gaze to look behind her. Kristoff….

"Anna," said Kristoff darkly, his expression unreadable.

"Well, at least you're safe-" started Theobald after a moment's silence, glancing at the strange commoner uneasily.

"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF! WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING?!"

Kristoff was absolutely fuming, his expression a mixture of anger and hurt, the likes of which Anna had never seen before.

"Excuse me sir, that is no way to talk to a lady, let alone-"

"You will keep your mouth shut," snarled Kristoff at the adviser, before pushing his way towards Anna.

"I leave you alone for one morning, one morning Anna and you nearly kill yourself! Why were you up there in the first place?! Are you so idiotic that you can't even look after yourself properly!"

"Kristoff-" protested Elsa but he cut her off, keeping his gaze directly on Anna.

"Did you not consider how dangerous it would be?"

"Well-"

"Did you not think?"

"I was-"

"How stupid can you be Anna?!"

After a awkward pause, Anna replied, avoiding Kristoff's glare.

"I- I used to go up the scaffold a lot when I was younger, and it was a nice day I guess and-"

"I think what she is trying to say sir, is that you might be slightly over-reacting," said Theobald warmly.

Kristoff narrowed his eyes before turning towards Theobald. At first Kristoff had thought he was Hans, but he seemed slightly different. He was too angry to care however.

"Who are you?" he said bluntly.

"Oh, um, I am Prince Theobald of the Southern Isles," said Theobald, bowing nervously.

"So you're a brother of Hans?" said Kristoff, through gritted teeth.

"Er, yes," said Theobald, giving a frail smile.

"Here's a message from me to Hans," said Kristoff dully, and without warning, he raised his fist and punched Theobald squarely in the face, causing everyone to gasp. Elsa immediately knelt down by the fallen prince.

"And you," said Kristoff, glaring at Anna once more, his voice shaky. "Don't you dare scare me like that ever again."

And without another word, he left the way he came.

The audience were no longer clapping or cheering, instead staring confusedly at the balcony. Who had been that strange commoner? What had he been doing on the balcony? And why did he punch the prince who had saved Anna?

Elsa stared worriedly at Anna. "I think you might want to leave him be for a while."

"No," retorted Anna with frustration. "I'm so sorry Theobald, he was completely out of line. I don't understand why he did that. Actually, sometimes I don't understand him at all sometimes."

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Theobald helplessly, waving his hand while the other cradled his nose. "He just loves you I think."

"Here," said Elsa, giving Theobald a handkerchief. "Anna, seriously, I don't think he's in the right mind to talk to you right now."

"No! I'm- I'm going after him. I have to. This is all my fault."

And just like that, Anna left the balcony.

Elsa sighed tiredly. She never listens.

"They really love each other, don't they?" said Theobald as he sat up against the balcony.

"Yes, I think they do. I'm starting to realise that more and more. A miracle really, concerning how badly things went for Anna with.. Well, you know."

"Yes, which is why this," said Theobald, gesturing towards his bloody nose, "is completely understandable."

"I am so sorry. I didn't intend for you to have such a terribly first day here. Oh, and thank you, for saving my sister," said Elsa gingerly, staring down at the crowd.

"Oh, it was nothing. Silly of me really, to go up there on my own. I should have brought back-up, and besides, Your Majesty, you were the one that saved us in the end," said Theobald.

Elsa stared nervously at the prince as he smiled warmly, a bloody handkerchief held up to his nose. He was so different to…

"We ought to get you cleaned up," said Elsa dismissively, standing up to talk to her adviser, who everyone seemed to have forgotten about.

"So will the prince be staying in the castle ma'am?" said the adviser, hardly believing his own words.

"Yes, I think so," stammered the Queen. "And please send the nurse to tend his injuries."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," said Theobald, standing up clumsily.

"It is the very least I can do," said Elsa elegantly, before turning to leave the balcony.

"You are not like your brother, that, at least, I can acknowledge," said Elsa, hiding her face from view before walking away.

Theobald stared after the Queen. Perhaps she was not as cold-hearted as he had first thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Anna knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Anna said quietly. She heard muffled footsteps and a moment later, the door opened.

"Kristoff?"

Kristoff stood in front of Anna, staring down guilty at the carpeted floor. He had taken off his harvesting gear and was wearing a crumpled up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"I can't believe I actually punched him," he said, before turning away and retreating back into his room. Anna took this as a gesture to come inside. The room was dark, and as twilight was upon them, it was only dimly light by the fading sun outside. Although far from emaculate, it smelt like reindeer and leather, which Anna, although at first found disgusting, had now come to associate with Kristoff and therefore felt instead warmth and familiarity.

"I know! I - I hadn't expected that… I hadn't expected you to get so upset-" started Anna, but she was careful to not sound too sour or discerning.

"You were right Anna. I'm sorry, I overreacted and-"

"No, Kristoff. It was my fault. I should have thought of the consequences. I just didn't realise how much my actions of foolishness would effect the people around me. I've spent my whole life alone, so I've sort of gotten used to people not noticing me."

"I know how you feel Anna, I was the same too," murmured Kristoff, his back turned so Anna could not see his expression. It could not disguise the emotion in his voice however. "But things are different now. I care about you Anna, so much, probably more than you'll ever know. You have no idea how I felt when I saw you…. frozen." He said the final word with such dread and fear, it was hardly a whisper.

"Hey," said Anna firmly, crossing the threshold, turning Kristoff's face with the palm of her hand.

"You will never have to see that ever again. I promise."

"It's not just that. Today I should have-" Kristoff stopped mid sentence, anxiety ridden over his face as he stared at Anna. He turned away once more.

"Should have what?"

"I just-"

"Why did you really punch him Kristoff?" asked Anna gently, but with a certain firmness.

"I was jealous, okay?" blurted out Kristoff, turning to look at Anna, who's expression immediately softened. "I should have been up there Anna, not some random guy! I- I was disappointed in myself. I'm not perfect, Anna and sometimes I just feel so….." He couldn't find the right words. His shoulders sagged in defeat as he avoided her gaze, ashamed that she should see how pathetic he was.

"Kristoff, you are a very special person to me. You know that, right?" said Anna, lacing her fingers into his as she stepped closer towards him.

"Of course but-"

"I don't mean like Elsa!" retorted Anna. She felt her heart thumping as she tried to find the right words to say so that he could understand. "I mean, as a woman loves a man." She looked down at the carpet immediately, hardly believing what she'd just said, her cheeks burning uncontrollably. She hadn't planned for him to see her like this. Nevertheless she carried on.

"Please, never forget that."

"How could I?" said Kristoff with difficulty, hardly believing what he was hearing. It was nearly dark and he could not see Anna's face clearly, partly because she was staring at the ground. "Anna, you do realise that I'll never be able to let you go. Once you take one step towards me, that will be it."

"So take me," said Anna quietly, the awkwardness in her voice gone. She sounded unusually sombre as she breathed out deeply, staring up at Kristoff. The darkness strangely gave her confidence.

As they both stared at one another in the darkness, moonlight streaming quietly through the window, they knew that they had finally figured out what they had, for so long, felt troubled over. And there was no going back.

…

"So, I see that you have left quite an impression on the Queen."

"I suppose so. She at least has accepted me to some degree."

"Good. Then you must proceed to the next level."

"Level?"

"Little brother, you cannot be that dim-witted. You must woo her of course."

"Woo? You never spoke of any wooing being involved! My purpose, the reason I am here, is to renew relations with Arendelle!"

"Oh come brother, did you really think that was why we sent you? Why do you think we chose you, hmm? Why such an unassuming, clumsy, weak-minded boy such as yourself? If you want to be able to live in peace and not be persecuted for you-know-what then you will do as we say. Did you really think that we would let you off so lightly? Did you honestly think that we sent you to simply renew relations! Ha! We have other, more important motives, surely you could have guessed that!"

"I won't let you hurt the Queen!"

"Oh, I see. And what exactly are you going to do, hmm? What position of power do you have to overthrow us? You have no choice Theobald, you are a convicted criminal. Unless you obey, you will be brought back here and executed. Is that what you want, little brother?"

"…."

"Then get on with it. And let us know when you have succeeded."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was early morning in the stables and Theobald was attempting to get his horse to move. He had been planning a morning ride to clear his mind but the horse was being stubbornly unobliging.

"Oh, damn it," muttered Theobald.

"Do you need a hand there?

Theobald tensed slightly as he turned around at the sound of the man who had punched him the day before. But upon seeing the rugged man's surprisingly warm, almost embarrassed-looking expression, he relaxed. Slightly.

"Oh, um, if you don't mind. My horse seems to, er, not want to move," said Theobald awkwardly as he gestured towards the stubborn horse who was glaring up at Theobald, a grumpy expression on his face.

"Ah," said Kristoff as he approached the horse and stroked it's mane, smiling at it in recognition. "That would be because this horse belongs to the Queen. He refuses to ride anyone else. If you had planned to go riding, you could have just asked the servants."

"Oh," said Theobald in surprise. This man seemed completely different to the one he had encountered the day before. "Well, you see, I didn't want to cause anyone trouble."

Kristoff stopped short before replying and instead slowly glancing up at Theobald, and proceeded to study him with his eyes narrowed before shrugging and walking towards the other horses. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't a prince. Most of them are snobby little idiots who go around bossing people around with their silly requests."

"Oh, well, you're not what I expected either," said Theobald hesitantly. "In fact, since I've been here, no one is what I had expected them to be."

Kristoff chuckled quietly before reappearing with another horse. "Well, welcome to Arendelle."

The new horse was much more obeying and good-natured, which Theobald liked. His chestnut coat was very elegant.

"Before you go!" said Kristoff, just as Theobald was about to set off. "I wanted to apologise for my behaviour yesterday. I was selfish and immature. I'm sorry."

"Oh no. No, I think partly I deserved it. I was closest to Hans, and part of me will always regret that I did not stop him when I had had the chance." Kristoff frowned slightly as he observed that prince's sudden change in manner.

"Well, you couldn't have known what Hans was going to do," said Kristoff carefully in a low voice. "You were in the Southern Isles."

"No," replied Theobald quickly, smiling weakly at Kristoff. "But judging by his character and history with women… Well, it is all over, but nonetheless, in my kingdom, when a one commits a crime, their family must also take the burden and responsibility for their actions."

"You truly are one of the most humble princes I've ever known," said Kristoff incredulously before stopping himself and reconsidering what he'd just said. "I mean, er, not that I know many."

"Yes, well, believe me, there are a LOT finer princes than me out there," said Theobald with a smirk before thanking Kristoff and taking the reins of his horse, swiftly leaving the stables, out into the open air.

Kristoff crossed his arms as he watched the prince depart. Well, if he was as clumsy as Anna had told him, his riding sure didn't show it. But as he turned to feed Sven his first bunch of carrots of the day, he frowned. Now that he thought about it, if Theobald had known Hans so well, why didn't he stop him?

…

Elsa knew perfectly well that she had a million, no, trillion, other things that she ought to have been doing, but since reclaiming the throne, she had felt slowly more and more constrained. Almost claustrophobic. So before any of the servants came to wake her, she slowly slipped out of her room and went down towards the stables on the other side of the castle. Tip toeing her way across the hallways, she was reminded of her childhood, when she and Anna would sneak around at night, looking for opportunities to play and enjoy the freedom of not being constantly observed by adults and their parents.

Walking into the stables, she was surprised to see that her favourite horse was awake, and Sven was not in his sleeping spot. No doubt Kristoff had snuck out to enjoy the early spring like she had, perhaps in order to enjoy some freedom too.

"Good morning Misty," murmured Elsa, stroking Misty's mane, which she always enjoyed. "Let's go for a ride, hey?"

Riding through the wind, Elsa was reminded of her time in her ice castle, and liberated she had felt. But now, she had love also, which she now felt was more important. You can create your own freedom, but you can't create your own love. No, thought Elsa before smirking.

"I'd end up like Narcissus," said Elsa out loud.

As they approached the hidden wood which lay a little bit up the mountain behind the castle, Elsa was struck by the beauty which was before her. Lush green trees were filled with birds, now singing in all their glory, the sun streaming through on to the soft green turf beneath.

"Beautiful," murmured Elsa in awe as slowed Misty down in order to look more closely at the birds.

As her eyes scanned the threshold, her eyes were caught something truly special. An elegant doe was drinking water from a small pool of water not 20 metres away from them.

"Misty," whispered Elsa. "Stop"

Slowly getting off the horse, Elsa proceeded to freeze the ground beneath her silently and slide her feet down her man-made trail slowly towards the doe as to not create any rustling. The doe was facing the other way, so it could only notice her if she made a noise. As she approached the doe, Elsa suddenly felt her balance go, and for a split second she knew exactly what was going to happen. As she let out a yell, tripping on her skirt, she saw the doe turn and run away, and inwardly she felt what a waste of ice she had spent and now she was going to hit the ground and it was going to hurt and -

She didn't.

She found herself being held up by some mysterious source. For a moment she wondered whether she had magical powers too. But then she heard a grunt, and suddenly she registered that the weight behind her was a person and things holding her up were arms.

"Oh!" exclaimed Elsa, sliding up her feet upright again on the ice, releasing herself from the hands on her arms before turning around to see who had been waltzing around the woods so early in the morning-

Elsa blinked twice before staring in bewilderment. This man had clearly not shaved this morning, his hair was unruly, and his attire was a monstrosity of unbelievable proportions, wearing nothing but a white thin shirt to cover his chest was quite improper, in fact, he sort of reminded Elsa vaguely of-

"Theobald," said Elsa bluntly, her eyes wide and mouth open. "I, I mean," damn it, she was stammering, she never stammered. "Your Highness," corrected Elsa, readjusting her posture, lifting her chin slightly before stepping forward. But clearly it was truly early in the morning, for once again she stepped on the rim of her dress.

"Ahh!"

"Your Majesty!"

A few seconds later, Elsa found herself collapsed on top of a large mass which proceeded to grunt a second time. Feeling her cheek lying next to a surprisingly well-built chest, she felt herself vaguely note that it did not smell too bad. Elsa froze before jolting up into a sitting position. Smell? Smell?! She looked down to see Theobald rubbing the back of his head, his face scrunched up in discomfort. His unruly hair didn't look half bad from this position. Elsa's eyes widened. What was wrong with her brain today?!

"Ow, ah, that sort of hurt," he murmured before opening his eyes to gaze vaguely at the woman sitting on top of him. No, the Queen….. The Queen!

"Your- Majesty, what are- what are you doing here?" blurted out Theobald, looking anywhere but at Elsa as he cursed himself inwardly. He was probably blushing. When he had caught her from behind he hadn't known who she was; he hadn't recognised her at all, especially as she was wearing riding clothes. Oh, god, he shouldn't have come out for a ride, now he's put the Queen in such an embarrassing situation, and now that he's blushing she'll think he's a pervert and- oh god, she staring at him-

But then, the weight on top of him suddenly left, and he turned to see Elsa staggering as she got up, readjusting her dress discreetly before turning towards Theobald once more. This time, standing not on ice.

"Your Highness, if you do not mind me asking first," said Elsa as cooly as she could, "what are you doing here?"

"Ah, yes, that is a most interesting question, and very important one at that too," said Theobald as he got up carefully, swiping off stray leafs from his trousers. As far as awkward situations go, having a royal member of the family, no, a Queen, sitting up on top of you, non-intentionally, is pretty much up there. The fact that, terrifying as it was to think it, Theobald had surprisingly not minded having her there, was irrelevant. If the Queen ever found out, he would certainly be arrested over claims of harassment by the Queen. Besides, after what had happened, he doubted that any chance of a romantic entanglement with the Queen still remained. Not that he had ever thought that there ever really was one from the beginning. For now, he would comply with his brothers. Any, even if he tried, he had no chance. That much was clear.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Theobald had suggested that they take cover under a nearby oak tree, for the clouds above were becoming grey and he feared that rain would soon be pelting down on to them. Fortunately he had brought with him a full day's supply of food, drink and some extra blankets, in case of a sudden change in temperature.

"Here," he said, as he passed a blanket quickly to Elsa, who was now sitting by the trunk of the large tree. "I must admit that when I first ventured up here, I had not been expecting it to rain. But then, neither it seems did you."

"No," said Elsa self-consciously, avoiding Theobald's gaze. There was less distance between them now, and she suddenly became acutely aware that she was very much alone. Prince or no prince, the fact was that she didn't really know Theobald at all. He was a stranger….. Now that it was raining, she was stuck here and would have to be with him till it stopped. Of course, she could make it snow, but she was tired from her ride up the mountain, and had not enough strength to sustain so much power.

"You know what I've just realised," exclaimed Theobald, causing Elsa jolt and be brought back out of her thoughts.

"What?" she asked nervously with a worried frown.

"I don't really know you," said Theobald frankly, as he turned away from his horse to walk towards Elsa, a beguiling smile emerging on his face as he sat down opposite her. She noticed that he was not completely covered by the leaves and that raindrops were starting to land on his shirt. He had obviously felt that she was nervous and had taken the curtesy to not sit directly next to her. Elsa's frown deepened in confusion as she observed Theobald take out food from the basket which he had brought with him. Everything she had learnt about him from observation was contradictory. He was clumsy yet well-mannered, timid and yet abruptly brave and even confident at times, scruffy and yet surprisingly attractive, something which he seemed completely unaware of-

Elsa's eyes widened. Wait. Attractive?! Since when did she think he was attractive?! What a stupid, silly, utterly ridiculous-

"ELSA!"

"Huh?" said Elsa, who found herself staring directly into a pair of soulful, chestnut eyes. She suddenly became aware that Theobald had moved from his previous position, and was now crouching down so that their eye-level was equal, currently staring at her in very confused, slightly worried manner.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your - Majesty," stammered Theobald as he became aware of Elsa staring back at him, his eyes suddenly starting to look everywhere but at Elsa as he moved hastily away from her, back to where he had been before. "It's just that you were unresponsive and I was scared that you were suffering from a panic attack and-"

"I'm fine," said Elsa in a warm but slightly blunt fashion in order to make Theobald stop talking.

She smiled unconsciously as she saw Theobald freeze, his hands half-away through his ruffled hair, his expression full of neurotic panic.

"Oh," sighed Theobald in relief, and he let his arms drop. "Good, that's good. But er, if you don't mind me asking, Your Highness, what were you doing?"

"What?" stammered Elsa, suddenly very self-consciously and becoming increasingly aware of how warm her cheeks were. "I was, um, just, thinking."

Theobald stared at her quizzically, waiting for her to continue.

"Thinking about," said Elsa desperately, raking her brains. How handsome you-

"About my sister!" she blurted out, a little too loudly.

Theobald's eyes widened slightly at what he perceived to be a rather energetic response. There was something off about the Queen today, but he couldn't put his finger on it…. but seeing Elsa simply stare back at him, he began to nod slowly before continuing to arrange the food.

Elsa let out a sigh. She had been too close to revealing her true feelings. Yet again, she had put herself into a position of having to conceal herself, and not let anything show. Well, she'd had enough practise by now to be able put it into good use. Still, she had come to the woods in order to let herself go, not to suffocate, like how she was feeling now.

"Sandwiches, that's all I've got I'm afraid," said Theobald apologetically as he passed Elsa a dish array with different sandwiches.

"Thank you, it's more than enough for me… I'm used to very simple food actually," said Elsa hesitantly, as she picked one up.

"Simple food?" said Theobald, who had begun to eat one of his. "Oh, sorry, bad manners, shouldn't speak while eating."

"Oh no, go ahead, my sister and I do that all the time," said Elsa warmly with a smile.

"The Queen and the Princess scoffing themselves with sandwiches. Hmm, somehow I can't picture it," said Theobald in a playfully mocking way, which made Elsa laugh a little. "But why the simple food? Surely two princesses growing up in a castle would be prepped and primed as they should be."

"Well, you must know by now the story of how I concealed my powers," began Elsa slowly, which Theobald nodded in return, "I lived in a castle with no contact with the outside world. I had no friends, and I didn't eat or socialise with my sister at all during the whole of my adolescence. Over time I became depressed and refused to eat. In the end, I could only manage simple food, in fact, I convinced myself that that was all I deserved. It also helped because with less strength I thought I could stop my powers from getting stronger."

Theobald stared speechless at Elsa's sad, lonely figure staring melancholically down at the ground, the only sound now the pitter patter of rain softly hitting the leaves above them.

"Did you ever think about…. you know, suicide?" asked Theobald tentatively, but seeing Elsa lift her head and stare at him, no, frown at him, he immediately started to back-track. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry-"

"No, no, it's not that!" said Elsa in desperation, shaking her hands in front of her, shuffling closer towards Theobald. "It's just that, no one's ever asked me that before. It's so foreign… So strange to be able to talk about it now. It's sort of, liberating," said Elsa, staring at Theobald incredulously, as his worried expression slowly ebbed away.

"So you did," said Theobald hesitantly, studying Elsa's face. She was so beautiful… It would have been a such waste. He stopped himself from thinking anything more.

"I did," said Elsa before taking a big breath. It was the first she had ever admitted it to anyone. For some bizarre reason she had managed, for the first time in her life, to confess her true feelings to someone. It just happened to be someone she had just met.

You can't marry a man you've just met.

Elsa blushed inwardly. She was slightly ashamed of her words now. Though she wasn't so silly that she would marry someone she'd just met, she could sort of understand now how Anna had fallen for Hans so easily. There seemed to be a sort of strange charm which ran through the family.

"What stopped you?" came a muffled voice.

Elsa looked up, slightly confused by the strangeness in his voice, before catching her breath upon seeing Theobald's face. Though he was trying to hide it as best as he could, his expression was one of such anguish, and though it was slight, Elsa could swear she could see tears in his eyes.

"I - I knew that Anna would be sad, and that she would be alone. Despite the fact that she would be safer, I didn't want her to go through the kind of loneliness that I did. She was my responsibility, I had to fill my parents shoes. I owed it to them. Otherwise, all their effort would have been for nothing. I had to become stronger."

"I'm sorry," said Theobald, turning away from Elsa to recompose himself. "I don't know what overcame me."

"That's ok, it is upsetting, and I was foolish girl to think it would solve my problems. It was an escape route which, if I had taken, would have cemented the fact that I was a coward."

"You're not coward, Elsa," retorted Theobald, his voice with a tone of slight annoyance, much to Elsa's surprise. His expression had changed once more, and he stared down at her now with such indomitableness that it caused her to sag her shoulders in defeat. He was unpredictable. It wasn't an opinion but a fact. "You weren't a coward for running away when they found out."

"But I should have stood up for myself. Told myself to not have so much fear." Now she could feel her tears coming. Brilliant. "I was a coward and I failed Anna."

"Elsa, are you-" started Theobald with concern, looking into her eyes.

"Oh no, just a little dust in my eye," said Elsa, giving him the best smile she could.

"Would you like a clean sleeve?" asked Theobald, coming closer and gesturing towards his hand.

"No, I'm fine, really. All better-" began Elsa but she was intervened by Theobald's hand, which slowly placed itself protectively over hers.

"You don't have to be so brave you know," said Theobald purposively, staring at Elsa in a way that no one had really looked at her before. It was as if he could see her. Really see her. And it frightened her. It frightened her to death.

"Oh, but I do actually," said Elsa, her voice wavering as she slowly moved her hand away and shuffled back to the safety of the trunk of the tree.

Theobald stared woefully at her as she proceeded to eat silently. Despite her current happiness, her past still haunted her. Much like his did.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Days passed after that rainy day and Theobald continued to stay in Arendelle. He met Elsa a couple times afterwards, usually during dinner, but spent the rest with Anna, with whom he found a bonding friendship. Then, a week later, the Arendelle annual summer ball arrived. It had turned out to be a spectacular success and theobald's brothers were all the more satisfied with their little brother's reports of his bonding relationships with the Arendelle monarchy. Theobald's brothers were not fools and they knew that the upcoming ball would be a great opportunity, and sending their little brother earlier would ensure that he would leave a stronger impression on Queen Elsa than the other princes who would be in attendance. Their goal was, of course, to gain control of Arendelle, and by having a blackmailed brother on throne would ensure that they could. They had other plans for later of course, but for now they held their breath, waiting and hoping for their brother to succeed…

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Well, nearly everyone.

Elsa sighed as she stepped out into the rear gardens that hide behind the palace, leaving behind the light, laughter and chatter and into a cooler, calmer environment outside, where only crickets and fireflies would keep her company. Sometimes she wondered whether Anna was more suited to being Queen; after all, she had social skills and could attend engagements such as these with ease. She enjoys herself, thought Elsa as she walked quietly down the stone steps, whereas I only endure it. It wasn't that she didn't like people, it was just that people treated her differently, with caution, afraid that she might suddenly attack them with shards of ice… Either that or, as was the case with most of the princes tonight, they would shower her with compliments and smiles and try to woo her extravagantly. She enjoyed neither of these interactions, but with Anna enjoying the ball so much, participating with Kristoff in almost every dance, which made Elsa feel very sorry for him indeed as he was slowly becoming the shade of bright tomato, she felt guilty in pulling her sister away from the extravagant entertainment. So, when noticing another vain, snobby-looking prince sticking his chin in the air in search for her, she snuck out of the nearest terrace door and out into the palace gardens which were lit only by the pale moonlight.

She headed towards the maze, a simple structure which she had escaped to countless times as a child. Silly, really, as it was such a small maze which you could reach the middle in half a minute, but for some reason it had given her reassurance when she was younger, as if, no one would ever find her here, like it was her secret place. Where she could shut the whole world out. Reaching the middle she smiled upon seeing her favourite fountain, a beautiful structure which made the water fall in such an elegant way but create only very quiet, delicate sounds.

Elsa moved forward and sat down and stared down at her reflection and the stars above. Things always seemed more beautiful in reflection, even the stars…..

And then, she noticed something block the stars, but with the water moving she could not see whether it was a trick of the light or…. She proceeded to freeze the water coming out the fountain and looked down at the water once more.

"Beautiful dress," commented a deep voice from behind.

"Wha-" responded Elsa with anxiety, before recognising the reflection as the water stilled.

"Although," continued Theobald, proceeding to sit down next to Elsa, but keeping enough distance between them so that she would not feel uncomfortable, "in my personal opinion, I think you need not be so conservative. If you would allow me to give you my honest opinion-"

"Permission granted," said Elsa quickly but cautiously, staring at Theobald with narrowed eyes, which Theobald responded to by smiling subtly, as if enjoying a personal joke.

"You seem to be a little uncomfortable tonight, and I wondered whether this dark purple dress was constricting for you."

"Well, actually, as a matter of fact, it is a little bit," said Elsa, slightly surprised that Theobald had been examining her. Tonight, rather unusually, he had decided to comb his hair and had put in a little effort to appear presentable, and thus, young women had came flocking towards him like geese. Whenever Elsa had turned to look at him, he was being pulled this way and that or being fought over by two or three ladies who wished to dance with him.

"Well, these people are here to see the real Queen Elsa. I think you should embrace that and let them see you as you actually are, not what they come to expect of a royal," replied Theobald as he stood up to pace towards a wisteria tree.

"Well," replied Elsa, thinking through her thoughts carefully, staring at Theobald with a frown, "I was a little tired, but since it is my duty as Queen, I think it is important for people to be able to feel that I can be relied upon as Queen. Later on of course-"

"How can they rely on you if you do not even have enough confidence to show your real self?" questioned Theobald, his voice unusually blunt as he stood away from Elsa, picking wisteria flowers off a branch.

"You seem quite different tonight, Prince Theobald," spoke Elsa, standing up indignantly. "Do not assume that after having spent a day with me in the countryside you are more than a mere acquaintance. You have no right to take advantage of me in that sort of fashion."

Theobald turned towards her hurriedly, before bowing hastily.

"Please, forgive me Your Majesty," he spoke in a pleading tone which made Elsa feel slightly guilty. "It's just that, tonight, I had so much unwanted attention, women who only clung to me for such superficial reasons. I escaped out here to get away from all of it, and turned my frustration and anger on the first thing I saw, which, unfortunately, was you. Please, forgive me."

Theobald waited for shards of ice to come on top of him, but instead he heard muffled snickering.

"You-r High-ness?" spoke Theobald hesitantly before lifting himself up.

Elsa sat by the fountain, smiling with humour in her eyes. So he hated it? A prince who hated attention, how extraordinary….

Theobald stared at the Queen, no, the lady in front of him with awe. Her platinum blonde hair seemed to almost glow in the moonlight, and though her dreary dress did not suit her, her facial expression was a picture. He had never seen her laugh or smile like that before, and it filled him with an emotion which he could not quite put his finger on. Before he could stop himself he whispered, "You really are so beautiful…"

Elsa immediately stopped laughing and stared at Theobald in shock. Did her ears deceive her or did he just say-

"If only you could change that dress of yours," spoke Theobald stiffly in an almost cynical fashion which did not suit him, before pacing towards a rose bush behind which Elsa sat. Phew, that was close. Really close. He would not deceive Elsa, he would allow himself to… It was what his brothers wanted, and he did not want to be their puppet, anyone's puppet. He would stall for as long as possible and then leave and never return to either country. For now he would try and keep his brothers at bay as much as possible.

So why in heaven's name did he follow Elsa out here?!

The truth was, despite all the kerfuffle with the ladies, he had noticed how lonely and closed off Elsa had seemed throughout the evening. Sad, even. And when he saw her leave, he resist to follow… She seemed neglected oddly, despite all the people whom she was talking to, and therefore he felt he couldn't leave her on her own. He could have, he should have, but…..

"Well, what do you suggest instead then?" asked Elsa sarcastically, standing up and turning to face Theobald, arms folded, eyebrows arched.

"What?" stammered Theobald.

"Well, if this dress in not adequate enough, what would you suggest?"

"I'm hardly an expert on women's fashion-" retorted Theobald, finding himself in a corner.

"Yes, but what is your image of me?" prompted Elsa, walking towards Theobald, her arms still folded.

"Umm, well," stuttered Theobald, staring at the floor, trying to hide his blushing face as Elsa came to stand right in front of him. "It doesn't really matter what I think. What's more important is what you think of yourself. If you embrace yourself then others will do the same."

Elsa let her arms fall before sighing in defeat. At first she thought Theobald had been superficial while talking about her dress, but when he whispered later about…. She suddenly felt like she wanted him to say those words again, however superficial they may have been. Now, however, she was sure they were not, and for whatever reason he would not admit to this. It frustrated her. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Not in admiration, allegiance, fear, or paternal love… Not as a Queen… As something else…

That was what had stopped her laughing. Not his words, but that gaze. Those grey eyes. Grey eyes which now refused to look at her.

"Anyway, I will be leaving soon, so you need worry about my opinion. I came hear to apologise for my brother's actions and put to rest any tension or antagonism between our two countries and that I have done," spoke Theobald firmly, looking up to stare at Elsa straight in the eye, only for his vision to be, to be filled with, quite simply, a vision. Once more, his voice acted on his own accord as he stared into the blue orbs which looked at him with intrigue. No one ever took notice of him before. Not like this. "If I wasn't a prince from the Southern Isles, if my brother was not Hans and had not committed such atrocities I would-"

But Theobald stopped himself before he continued on, noticing the confusion in Elsa's eyes. How could understand the predicament he was in. There was no point, she was unreachable and he would only end up hurting her. He proceeded to look away from Elsa before standing up straight, moving slight back and bowing curtly.

"Good evening, Your Majesty."

And without another look, he left hastily, leaving Elsa in confusion and with a heavy thumping in her chest which she would not be able to explain for days to come.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Theobald breathed out into the cold night air and looked back at the castle for the last time before turning away. He could still see Elsa's face in his mind, looking utterly lost. It made him nervous. But it was also exactly why he had to leave. As he rubbed his gloves together, carrying his travel case on his back as he walked towards the harbour, he could hear fireworks going off in the distance. He had left the ball soon after saying goodbye to Elsa, not wasting a single minute, not wanting his brothers, whom he had spotted and made eye contact with at the ball, to notice that he had left. He had only a few days to escape before they realised what had happened. That he had run away…

No, not run away, he was protecting Elsa and-

"Theobald."

The voice had come out of nowhere, and it immediately sent a shiver down his spine. He knew that voice, and it wasn't one that he'd wanted to hear. In fact, it was the very last voice in the world that he wanted to hear.

"Going somewhere were you?" came the sly voice of his brother, Ferdinand, the 5th Prince of the Southern Isles, from behind his back through the darkness.

Theobald proceeded to turn around slowly, the hood of his coat low so that it covered his face. Just. He could try and pretend to be somebody else, but he knew it was futile. This was his brother, a distant brother, a cruel brother, but a brother nevertheless.

"Hello Theobald," spoke Richard, the 6th Prince of the Southern Isles, his voice coming from the right. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Likewise," muttered Theobald, sighing in defeat as he reluctantly lifted his hood.

As he looked up, his vision was flooded with that of his two elder brothers, Ferdinand, as intimidating as ever as he was strikingly handsome, and Richard, rather less so but far more unpredictable and therefore dangerous. Ferdinand had his hands behind his back, looking deceptively regal. Of course, this was a facade. Richard on the other hand was leaning against a lamp post on the side of the road, casually smoking a cigar. He was what you might call volatile. And that was an understatement. Both were still in there formal attire, so they had clearly been following him.

"So," spoke Ferdinand slowly as if he had all the time in the world, swiping back his black mane of hair away from his face. "You weren't thinking of leaving were you? Because based on your last letter, it seems you weren't quite done wooing the freaky ice bitch. In fact, it sounded like you had just gotten started."

"Don't call her that," replied Theobald, his eyes guarded and voice surprisingly low. "She's a queen, and a true royal, unlike you."

Richard barked with laughter in response, sliding down the lamp post. "That's the very last thing that creature is, she's a freak!"

"Richard," warned Ferdinand sarcastically, his gaze still directed towards Theobald. "Not so loud."

Theobald continued to stare at his older brother, but he made sure his expression gave nothing away. Inside his gloves however, he could feel his hands starting to feel clammy.

"You do understand that if you choose to defy our father, you, not only, are giving yourself a death sentence, but you are also killing your own brother," muttered Ferdinand, before lighting a cigar himself.

"What?" stammered Theobald, taking a step towards Ferdinand.

Ferdinand smirked, amused at Theobald's immediate response.

"Unfortunately we have still not located Hans, however you know, as well as I, that eventually we will, and when we do, if you are not here, if you defy your country, if you refuse to cooperate, you will find yourself with blood on your hands. It was never our father's intention to kill either of you, but it seems this is the only way. Hans will be killed if you decide to not do as you are told. And you care about him, right….?"

Theobald swallowed slowly, staring down the ground, Ferdinand's mocking voice unnerving him. Did he still care? After what he did? Maybe he didn't.

"He committed treason, he lied to everyone, including me, so there is no reason for me to still care-"

"Liar," snarled Ferdinand, his face suddenly centimetres away from Theobald's. "You were the only one out of all of us that ever gave a damn about him. You wouldn't leave him alone, like you should have done, like you were told to do. He may have lied to you, but I know you care. You were always soft on him. He wasn't meant to be one of us, and he clarified that himself by going off and fucking up all of father's plans. He's a liar, and that's the very thing that father hates the most. Liars. So don't you go off parading away as a liar too Theobald. That would be a very stupid thing to do."

Richard, who had seemingly become bored with the conversation, groaned out loud as he leaned off the lamp post and approached his two brothers.

"I don't think he gets it," he spoke bluntly, his eyebrows raised. "I don't think he understands why the King has asked him to do what he's doing."

Ferdinand swivelled his eyes towards Richard in surprise. He was not exactly renowned for his intellect nor his sensitivity.

"What do you mean Richard?" asked Ferdinand, folding his arms, pushing his shoulders back in frustration. It was a little too chilly for spring.

"He doesn't get why he has to woo the Queen, or why it's him that's doing it, why it isn't one of us."

Ferdinand looked back towards Theobald before narrowing his eyes.

"Is that true Theobald? Do you not understand?"

Theobald looked towards Richard who was flicking his cigar butt into the harbour before reverting his eyes back to Ferdinand, who was impatiently waiting for his answer.

He couldn't leave. It suddenly dawned on him. Of course he couldn't. He'd just figured it out. Elsa would be in even more danger if he left. He would simply get replaced by one of his other brothers, whom he knew would do his job a lot quicker and show absoloutely no mercy. But what his father was really planning, something he knew that his two ignorant brothers definitely did not know, what his real intention was, was anyone's guess. And till Theobald knew, Elsa was unsafe, her future uncertain. Until he knew, he realised, he had to play the game. In order to protect her and.. if need be... to warn her.

But he couldn't deceive her. That he knew as well. Because… Well, who cared what he felt or whether she cared. Even if she ended up hating him, if she was safe…..

"I understand. My father can't blackmail you or any of the others to be a pawn in his little game. But he can with me. Because he knows that I can't refuse him, that I have my hands tied because I let a man accused of high treason roam free. He knows he has power over me, because I-"

"Because you care?" interrupted Richard, his voice mocking and intentionally dopey.

"Yes," replied Theobald, his face somber, refusing to look at Richard. "Because I care."

"Good," muttered Ferdinand, before finally releasing Theobald from his gaze. "So we are clear, yes? No more attempts at running away? We don't want you to become the second legendary Lost Prince of the Southern Isles now do we?"

Theobald looked up at his brother's retreating figure and felt suddenly this dangerous urge to... He could stab him from here, point blank.

Instead, he merely smirked. He ain't lost you bastard.

"Report in one week, brother, remember, report in one week," whispered Richard in Theobald's ear, causing him to jump. Richard still made him nervous, ever since he 'accidentally' shot him in the foot while they were out hunting as young boys.

"Pop your letter in the usual place," he whispered, before skipping off to rejoin Ferdinand, who was already several paces ahead.

As they turned at the corner of the street and fell from view, Theobald let out a huge ragged sigh before leaning against the brick wall behind him for support.

Now what? There was no escape, but he couldn't go on. Not like this.

He needed help.

If you really need my help, if you honestly have absolutely no alternative….

Theobald stood up and straightened his jacket before walking back towards the harbour where he had left his belongings. As he pulled them onto his back and walked back towards the castle, his resolution became clear. He couldn't do this on his own. There really was no alternative.

Dear Mr Epirus,

You once told me that if I was in serious need of help that I reach out to you. This letter may have come a lot sooner that you might have wished it to, but I truly believe that such a moment has arisen. No one has considered that I know what I know, however there is a chance, no, more than a chance, a certainty that something much greater than the past is currently at stake. It is the future, and a whole kingdom, and you are my only ally, the only one who can understand, the only one who will believe me. I am where I said I initially would be headed. You need not come, but please, I need your help. For now, I only need your assurance that I have got it. If I indeed I do have your support, then I am forever in your debt.

Yours sincerely,

Your only true living relative


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The morning after the summer ball was a pleasant but altogether quiet one. The residents of Arendelle Castle were mostly still asleep, aside from the servants who were spending their time tending to those who had stayed up late. They went about their morning chores in a diligent but subtle manner, quietly cleaning up the ballroom, corridors, and dining halls. The castle was so quiet that one could not be blamed for believing that it was under an enchanted spell.

Well, almost.

"Hello, Anna!"

Anna, Princess of Arendelle, sister to the current Queen of Arendelle, proceeded to shriek at the top of her voice, thereby destroying the serene, peaceful silence of the castle gardens, before falling off the bench which she had been sitting only moments before, gazing dreamily out across the kingdom and fjord.

"What the-"

"What are you doing up so early?" asked her sister, the Queen herself, who was standing elegantly behind her, with a smirk on her face.

As Anna lifted her head she narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. It was the look her sister pulled whenever she wanted to appear innocent but actually knew perfectly well what she was doing. Annoyingly she always got away with it, since people viewed her as the serious and sensible one.

But Anna knew better.

"I might ask you the same question," said Anna, brushing the gravel and dirt off her skirt as she stood up. "I thought you would be exhausted after the ball last night."

"I am," replied Elsa, still smiling, "but there were duties that needed taking care of. I was in my office staring out the window when I saw you daydreaming in the garden. You're usually asleep at this time of day Anna so I thought I'd come and investigate."

"Of course you would be working the morning after a party," said Anna with a huff. "And you just decided to creep up and scare the daylights out of me, is that right?"

Elsa beamed even more, her hands folded neatly behind her back.

"Yes, I'd say that's about right."

Anna glared at her sister, but there was no real anger behind it, so it didn't take long for her to lose her composure.

As if on cue, they both proceeded to burst out in laughter.

"Oh Anna," sighed Elsa once they both managed to suppress their giggles. "We've probably woken up our guests by all the noise we're making."

"Who cares," replied Anna, "I'm just glad that we're finally able to talk to each other without ten people listening in on us."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself yesterday though. I thought you loved all the attention," said Elsa with amusement.

Anna was right, however. Elsa had been meaning to speak with her for a long time. Ever since….

"I do, but sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. And from now on I'm going to be even more under the microscope and-"

"Why is that?" interrupted Elsa, a frown forming on her face.

"Well, because," stammered Anna before quickly turning around and sitting down on the stone bench once more, ignoring Elsa's questioning eyes.

"Why are you really up so early Anna?" asked Elsa gently, sitting down slowly next to her agitated sister and folding her arms neatly on her lap. "I saw you pacing up and down the garden. You looked quite worried."

"Elsa, I'm just…. so scared. For so many reasons. I'm happy and yet completely terrified and worried that-"

"That I won't approve?" suggested Elsa, a smile forming on her face. Anna, however, did not notice.

"Yes! And besides, I don't even know if he fully understands what he's getting into and-"

Anna froze. She glanced up to see her sister in a fit of tears. Not of sadness. Not of pain.

Tears of laughter.

"Elsa?" said Anna, staring incredulously at her sister. She looked as if she was about to die from laughing so hard.

"Oh, Anna!" exclaimed Elsa, lifting her hand from her mouth before proceeding to start sniggering. "I've known for ages! Ever since your little incident in the stables before the party!"

"Wait, what?" replied Anna, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Elsa had known all this time, even before Anna, herself, did.

"Kristoff and I had a long talk afterward, and he confessed that he was planning to propose to you during the summer ball. He wanted to have my approval, which I of course gave."

Anna stared at her sister, her mouth hanging permanently open. Since she seemed in no fit state to speak, Elsa continued.

"Kristoff is a wonderful person Anna," said Elsa, picking up her sister's hands and gently holding them in her own. "You should have more faith in him. He might find it difficult to adjust at first, but I believe he will adapt well. He has all the qualities that one would hope for in a partner, and most importantly, he loves you. Very much, probably more than you will ever know. I have no doubts. Which is why I gave him my blessing, just as I am giving it to you now."

"Elsa!" cried Anna before wrapping her arms tightly around Elsa's shoulders. "You are the best sister in the world. I don't know what I would do without you. No one can replace you in my heart!"

"Anna," whispered Elsa, her heart filling up with emotion. "You will always be my dear little sister, never forget that."

The two sisters continued to hug in silence, the birds singing melodiously in the background. It was a wonderful thing to have witnessed, except that no one was, which made it all the more perfect. It was their little special moment.

As they parted, both regarded the other with sheepish smiles, largely due to the fact that they were both crying and had, as a result, red blotchy eyes and runny noses.

"Oh dear," said Elsa with false exasperation, "the maids would have a tizzy if they ever saw me like this."

"Oh no, you always look beautiful Elsa, even with snot running down your face."

They proceeded to laugh through their tears.

"I'm so relieved," sighed Anna, staring out across the fjord once more. The fishermen were now returning with their catch, ready to sell at the early morning market down by the bay.

After a moment's silence, Anna decided to change the conversation up to something less heavy and more light-hearted.

"So," she began with a slight drawl, "did anyone catch your eye at the ball last night?"

"What?" blurted Elsa, this time with an incredulously look on her face.

"Oh, come on, there must have been someone! Were none of the princes or dukes handsome enough for you?"

"What, no, no, of course not, there were plenty of handsome men dancing last night, it's just that I had no time to dilly dally, there were important Heads of State that I had to talk to and-"

"Uhuh, uhuh," said Anna, nodding her head with false understanding. "So you sneaking off with Prince Theobald of the Southern Isles into the maze out in the garden last night was all to do with that as well, am I right?"

"How did you-" began Elsa, her eyes widening with shock but Anna intervened.

"I have eyes and ears too you know. Kristoff noticed first. Prince Theobald is…. quite handsome, with ash brown hair and grey eyes... I was really surprised, to be honest, I assumed that you weren't interested in any of them, but to chose him out of all of them-"

"Wait!" shouted Elsa, holding her hands up in defense. "There's nothing going on between me and him, honestly, he was just visiting because-"

"So why do you always start blushing when he's around?" asked Anna, smirking.

"I- I don't blush, don't be silly," replied Elsa, but her response was feeble.

"He seems nice enough, nothing like his brother. A bit of a mystery really, he has so many contradictions about him that he's quite hard to describe. Clumsy and light-hearted, yet he can be suddenly so serious. Sort of cowardly, almost pathetic, and yet strangely hotheaded and brave at the same time. I can understand why you like him, you could work quite well together-"

"It would never work."

Elsa's harsh words and stony voice stopped Anna in her tracks.

"What? How could you know that there's nothing-"

"He is the brother of a prince who tried to take over our kingdom. It would never work."

Anna frowned as she stared across at her sister, who was avoiding her gaze and staring directly out towards the turquoise fjord.

She wasn't smiling.

In fact, it looked as if a cloud had passed over her thoughts. Her eyes glinted with darkness. Anna was suddenly reminded of how Elsa had been before she had discovered that she could control her powers. When Elsa felt like she was in a cage and believed herself to be a monster.

"Elsa," spoke Anna with great care, "you don't know that. He is a good man, I can feel it-"

"You don't know any more about him than I do," replied Elsa sadly. "He has stayed here for three weeks and in that time how much have you actually found out about him?"

"Well, he's kind, a little clumsy, like me-"

"No, I mean, what do you know about him? Why was he sent here instead of the King of the Southern Isles, or at the very least the heir to the throne, Prince Erik? What exactly is he hiding, because he obviously is hiding something from us? There is more to that man than either of us can see. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore…"

"How can it not matter?" replied Anna with frustration.

"Because he's not here anymore."

Anna blinked.

"He left," said Elsa with resignation. "That was what we were discussing yesterday. He came to apologize, on behalf of Hans. He was preventing a war from erupting between our nations. Do you understand Anna? He was here because his kingdom sent him here."

"That may be true, but I know love when I see it," said Anna firmly.

Elsa hesitated to reply, her blue eyes staring warily at her sister. It was a moment of weakness. Of denial.

"Elsa, I have never seen you look at anyone like you've looked at him for the past three weeks. To deny that to yourself is to only invite more pain. I do not wish that upon you."

Elsa looked sadly at her sister before calmly taking hold of her hand.

"Nothing can come of it," whispered Elsa. "I don't even know him, not really. I can sort of understand why you fell so quickly for Hans now. I should have been more open-minded, I should have tried to understand."

"Well, now you do," said Anna melancholically.

For a moment they merely sat, feeling the soft warm breeze brush across their faces and through their hair.

"The Southern Isles is a mysterious country," murmured Elsa. "Not much is known about it. They used to trade with us but not now... Their King is hardly ever seen in public anymore. And with twelve princes-"

"Thirteen," corrected Anna.

"Thirteen?" repeated Elsa with confusion.

"Yes, you're forgetting the Lost Prince of the Southern Isles."

"Of course," replied Elsa, recognition setting in. "I completely forgot."

"The legendary Prince who defied his father, the King, and renounced his claim to the throne," spoke Anna, suddenly reminded of the stuffy library in the castle where she was forced to study about the neighboring kingdom's surrounding Arendelle. "No one knows why he did it, only that he was never seen again. Some people think he's even dead."

"That happened slightly after you were born, I sort of remember. Only vaguely of course, but I recall our parents looking very worried."

"Is that why you don't trust Prince Theobald, because he comes from the Southern Isles?" asked Anna.

"Yes, partly. I'd be a fool not to," said Elsa before standing up and taking a deep breath. As always, the air was clean and refreshing by the fjord.

"It's a shame that he's left," said Anna before standing up also. "I'm a little disappointed really. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye."

Elsa smiled sympathetically at her sister before offering her arm, which Anna gladly took, the two of them linking arms.

"I hope that you one day find a love just as wonderful and blissful as I have," said Anna. If it had come from anyone else, Elsa would have assumed that they were being snobbish and conceited, but with Anna, Elsa knew that she meant well.

"I highly doubt that," scoffed Elsa. "You love too well, with your whole, pure heart. Mine, however, is twisted in cold and dark magic. I come with way too much baggage for any prince to be able to handle, and I could never love anyone as well as you love Kristoff."

"Well, we'll see about that," replied Anna, her eyebrows raised. "Personally, I think there's a secretly hidden six pack underneath Prince Theobald's crumpled royal clothing that is in dire need of being discovered."

"Anna!"

…..

As he woke up, bleary-eyed, he heard somebody shouting from outside. Putting on his shirt, which lay on the chair beside his bed, he yawned in exhaustion before opening the curtains, letting the blazing sunshine come streaming through the stain-glassed windows. As his eyes became adjusted to the light, he glanced down towards the garden, to see two women chasing each other around a rose garden. He immediately recognized them to be the Queen and the Princess.

As he stared, he noticed that both were laughing, the red-haired princess chasing the fair-skinned Queen round and round the roses, whose petals were now floating in the air. It was a very rare moment to see the Queen looking so happy, so carefree. One forgot when seeing her in court that she was actually still very young, only just a young lady.

As she ran, her plaited, snowflake-colored hair became undone, and soon she was running with it completely loose. Free. Untamed.

Theobald smiled to himself. He could see her at least at this distance, and not feel ashamed in doing so.

No one would know.

No one would know how he felt. What he was truly thinking every single time he saw her.

"Elsa," he whispered, in a way that was meant for his ears and his ears only.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Talking to Anna in the early morning was comforting for Elsa, but she could not help but feel that there was something still nagging her.

She could not understand why Prince Theobald had come to visit Arendelle. She couldn't help feel that there was more to their encounter than he had let on.

And yet at the same time, she could not help feeling empathy towards him. She could not help wanting to trust him. The conflict within her was excruciating, and she could only hope that it would eventually subside. In any case, it was very unlikely that she would ever see Prince Theobald again – he was only twelfth in line for his throne after all.

"Ma'am," echoed a voice from across the throne room, breaking Elsa away from her ruminating thoughts. She recognized the voice at once and turned away from the crystal glass window to face her advisor, who was standing down by the double doors.

"Yes?"

The advisor was looking rather disgruntled, which made Elsa frown. He was a man that was not so easily ruffled, largely keeping his face void of any emotion.

"What is it?" pressed Elsa, proceeding to walk slowly down the steps, past her throne.

"Prince Theobald is requesting an audience with you Ma'am," replied the advisor, with obvious discomfort. "I can of course request that he come at a more appropriate time, it is of course still morning, and after the ball last night I'm sure your Majesty would prefer-"

"Send him in please."

The advisor froze, staring at his Queen with shock written all over his face.

"Now Ma'am?" he stuttered.

"Yes, now," replied Elsa with ease, a wry smile playing on her lips.

"Of course, Ma'am, I shall send him in right away," replied the advisor, hardly believing what had just transpired before bowing deeply and retreating from the room.

Elsa breathed out deeply but turning away from the closing doors to look up at her vacant seat on her throne. She could feel tightness in her throat. It wasn't from being nervous.

It was rage.

How dare he pretend to be formal and proper now. He was going to take this opportunity to belittle her cockily one more time, to make her feel stupid, just as he did last night before departing.

He was deliberately trying to make this as painful as possible.

Elsa felt her hands grow cold.

"Ma'am," came the advisor's voice again and Elsa whipped around to face the doors just as they opened and Prince Theobald stepped into the room.

He looked just as scruffy as usual, but he was not wearing formal attire as he had been the night before. He looked almost humble in his riding clothes, all primarily in brown and dark red. He had obviously been riding because he was breathing deeply with exertion and his hair was windswept.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. She wasn't going to be fooled by that again. She couldn't tell what his true character was, and she was starting to become suspicious.

Theobald was finding it difficult to lift his gaze to look at Elsa directly in the eye, mainly because he was still feeling rather embarrassed about having seen her in the morning. When he eventually did, he was met by a completely different image, that of the powerful, distant but elegant Queen, with her hair neatly reined in on the top of her head. He suddenly felt the urge to undo it.

"Er," choked Theobald, before clearing his throat. He desperately tried to rid his mind of the carefree young maiden he'd seen running around the rose garden just hours before. "Your Majesty, I have come because I would like to apologize for my behavior last night."

He saw her eyes widen for a fraction of a second before she covered it once more with her usual somber expression.

"What exactly do you mean, by your behavior?"

Her voice was brittle.

Theobald gritted his teeth. He had suspected he had hurt her, but he could see it now clear in her eyes. He knew that it was necessary at the time, but nevertheless, it still pained him to see the results.

"I was rude," he spoke softly, "and inappropriate. I left you, first of all, unchaperoned in the maze, and second, did not treat you with the respect you deserved. I was not honest with you, and for that, I am sorry."

Elsa stared at Theobald, unable to answer. She had not expected him to apologize. He had left her in the maze, all alone, and she had felt rejected. It had felt awful. But this…

He had taken the time to come and apologize, when he could have just run?

"I accept your apology," replied Elsa, her voice quiet. "What exactly have you not been honest about?"

As Theobald stared at Elsa, he noticed that she was almost pleading, like somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew that he was not being honest, that he was holding back. He felt tightness in his throat. If only… If only he could be honest with her…

But he was too deep, too many lives were at risk, and if she were to know why he was here, what's to say that his father wouldn't harm her?

It was too much risk. Too much was at stake.

He had to keep going, he had to keep his real intentions a secret, in order to protect her….

So instead….

"Things in my country have been difficult," he sighed. "Being so far down the line of succession meant that I had less responsibility than my other brothers. But it also meant I was largely invisible. Some of my brothers I'm afraid were not so kind, in fact, at times they could be quite brutal."

Theobald looked wearily at Elsa to see that she was listening intently. As their eyes met, Theobald looked hastily away from her. He could not tell her the whole truth, but he could let her know some of it.

"My father was always a cold man," continued Theobald, pacing slowly toward the stain glass windows. "Distant. He never spent any real time with me nor with any of my younger brothers. Hans, my younger brother, was always seen as a disappointment. I cared for him though, as much as I regret it now."

Elsa stared at Theobald, who looked so sad, almost suddenly older, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Elsa wondered whether this was actually the real Theobald. It reminded her of someone.

Herself.

"I know how you feel," replied Elsa, which caused Theobald to look up at her with alarm. She had not said anything for so long, he was surprised to hear her voice sound so sympathetic. So warm.

He did not deserve it.

"It doesn't excuse the fact that I haven't been exactly fair to you. I was sent here by my family because they believed that they could create an alliance between our countries."

Elsa blinked.

"An alliance?" she said, hesitantly.

"Yes," breathed Theobald, staring directly at her. He could not mess this up, but he was through with not being straight with her. If he had to stay, then he would try and protect her best he could. Either way, there was nothing that could stop his father from making sure his plan was seen through.

"Do you mean… marriage?"

"Yes," replied Theobald.

Silence filled the room as Elsa processed the information in her head. That had been his real reason in coming here. Then why…

"Then why did you tell me you were leaving yesterday?" she asked.

"Because I thought it was unfair on you. Because I didn't want to seduce you as my family wishes me to. Because I believed that the right thing to do was to leave and make sure my family never meddled with your kingdom ever again."

"What changed your mind?" asked Elsa carefully after a moment, her expression nebulous.

Theobald felt her words hanging in the area; each one felt like a pit in his stomach.

He realized in that moment that he had to lie.

"I'm a selfish human being," he spoke begrudgingly, hating the sound of his own voice. "I must confess that I like you. Very much. I want- I would like, that is, your permission to able to get to know you better."

Looking up he saw that Elsa was staring at him as if he had just grown two horns on the top of his head.

"I would like to stay in Arendelle for a little while longer," he continued, keeping his gaze steady. "You know of my intentions now, as well as that of my family. If you wish it, you can send me away. It is entirely up to you."

Theobald felt his hands becoming clammy. If she said yes he could protect her at least at a close distance. If she said no... Well, then perhaps it was time for Epirus to set his plans in motion. The fate of both their countries now hinged on her decision. One would lead to temporary peace, the other would lead to civil war in his country.

But he couldn't lie to her anymore.

Elsa couldn't believe her ears. Gone was the pathetic prince she had seen when she'd first saw him. Now he spoke with such boldness, such firmness, it startled her.

She wanted to believe that he was being honest. But she could also sense that he was still keeping things hidden from her. He had secrets, just as she had had hers.

Perhaps if she spent more time with him she could uncover them. Perhaps Anna was right; maybe she ought to be more trusting.

But she also couldn't stop the shadow of dread seeping into her heart. What if he was only acting in his countries interests?

But he could have left. He spoke of wanting to, in order to sever all ties to Arendelle.

She knew in her gut that that part was true. It had to be.

Otherwise…

Otherwise she wouldn't be feeling such goodness emanating from him.

Theobald frowned as he saw Elsa's conflicting thoughts running through her mind. Perhaps she did not want him here after all, and was just figuring out the best way to get rid of him. She had only known him for three weeks, what did he expect. He was twelfth in line, there would be no advantage for her. What had his brothers been thinking in sending him-

"If you want me to leave," he began gruffly but Elsa interrupted him.

"No!"

Theobald stared as Elsa held up her hand towards him, her face contorted with anguish.

After a moment, she regained her composure, and flicked her eyes down at the ground in embarrassment. She had revealed too much just then.

"I don't want you to leave," she whispered, her voice wavering.

Theobald looked at her with a pained expression on his face. So she had chosen.

He felt a flurry of triumph surge within him, and he hated himself for it.

As he stared at Elsa, who looked so vulnerable with her head cast down, refusing to look at him, he felt something cold touch his face. Looking up, he was met with the sight of thousands of snowflakes dancing in the air, slowly falling to the ground. He soon saw his own breath in the cold, icy air as well, and the throne room suddenly looked like the inside of an ice palace, the snowflakes casting a sapphire-like hue across the whole room.

It was enchanting. It was magical. It was….

"So it is true, what they say about you," he spoke, his voice warm. "You do create the most beautiful snowflakes of all the kingdoms."

Elsa looked up to see Theobald casting his gaze around the room with innocent-like wonder. He had a slight smirk on his face, which made Elsa breathe a little faster. He seemed so unassuming, but at times, she was sure that he was the very definition of charming. She couldn't understand how he kept it so well hidden.

She soon noticed that she was blushing. Luckily the man standing in front of her did not seem to notice.

"Can you take me to your castle?"

"What?" breathed Elsa. She almost felt like she had misheard him, for he spoke so softly. He was still looking at the enchanted snowflakes.

"Take me to your castle," he repeated, this time looking down at her. There was humor ridden in his eyes.

"But you're in my castle," replied Elsa incredulously, feeling rather stupid.

"No, I mean your castle. The one you made all by yourself."

Elsa immediately knew what he was referring to.

"I- I don't know if," she started to stammer but unable to look away. "It's rather personal."

"I understand," replied Theobald, bowing his head in resignation. "Perhaps another time-"

"No, wait!" exclaimed Elsa. "I was inconsiderate just then. Of course you can see it. I'll take you."

Theobald looked up and smiled at her, lighting up his entire face, almost as if the clouds had parted. It was the first time Elsa felt like she had seen him genuinely smile. It was rather blinding. And distracting.

"Today," she spoke, her voice a little rigid. She was about to lose her composure if he kept smiling like that.

"Today?" he spluttered, his smile vanishing.

"Yes," replied Elsa, glad that he was no longer smiling. "Right now."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Now that's a castle," whispered Theobald after a moment.

They were standing at the top of a cliff, having spent the better part of the day riding up the precarious mountains in order to reach their destination.

Having just climbed up some very steep stairs made out of ice, they had reached the top. The view that presented itself to them was, simply put, breathtaking.

It wasn't just that the entire thing was made out of ice. Theobald could tell, could somehow feel that there was something otherworldly about it. Like it was made out of…. Magic.

"Would you like to go inside?" asked Elsa, smiling towards Theobald, who was still staring at her ice castle in awe. She couldn't help but feel slightly pleased with herself. He was appreciating something that had nothing to do with her status as a royal. This was something that belonged to her and her alone. It was a symbol and constant reminder of her first taste of freedom.

"Yes, of course!" stammered Theobald, now gazing at Elsa in awe.

….

The inside of the magnificent structure was just as impressive as the outside. With its striking and yet elegant design, it reminded Theobald of the first time he saw Elsa in the throne room.

He almost felt a little guilty in having asked her if he could come here.

There was something intimate about the place, and, just like Elsa said, personal.

"What is it?" asked Elsa apprehensively, noticing that Theobald was looking rather uncomfortable, shifting his weight between his legs.

"Nothing," mumbled Theobald, before looking up at Elsa and discovering that she too had an anxious expression on her face.

It took a moment for him to realize that she was seeking his opinion on the place.

It looked almost as if she wanted his approval.

"It's beautiful Elsa," continued Theobald hurriedly, wanting to reassure her, although he couldn't understand why on earth she should care what he thought. "It's so breathtaking, and…."

Looking up at the glittering ceiling and intricate chandelier, he tried to find the right words to describe her creation.

"It's so you," he finally said before looking down at Elsa and smiling.

Elsa felt her heart begin to throb as Theobald stared at her.

She'd never felt so out of control in her life, not even when she couldn't control her powers.

It happened this morning as well in the throne room.

Whenever he smiled like that, lighting up his entire face, giving him an almost majestic glow, she couldn't help but feel like she was at his mercy.

Quite frankly, it terrified her.

Clearly, not all types of love are the warm and fuzzy kind.

Love can be frightening as well.

Love?!

"Elsa!"

Theobald was no longer smiling. As a matter of fact, he looked more like the Theobald she was familiar with; the one who was always apologizing and wearing a neurotic expression on his face.

"Elsa, your feet!"

Peering down, Elsa was shocked to discover that the very floor she was standing on was slowly but surely… melting.

Stepping out of the tiny pond that now surrounded her, Elsa lifted her hands and let her power flow through her, freezing the water into ice once more.

"Why did that happen?" asked Theobald incredulously, taking out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and stooping down to wipe as much water off the hem of Elsa's dress as he could.

"Er, well," stammered Elsa, her eyes widening as she looked down at Theobald's crouched figure. The sudden intimacy completely threw her, and she had hardly anytime to register what he had asked her.

Looking up at Elsa's flustered face, Theobald froze with his hands still holding on to the hem of Elsa's dress.

This was the Queen of Arendelle.

And he had been lifting her dress.

Without her permission.

"I'm so sorry!" he immediately exclaimed before hastily getting up, handing Elsa his handkerchief, and bowing in apology. "That was completely inappropriate, I should have asked your permission first-"

"No, it's okay," came Elsa's calm, reassuring voice. "You just startled me, that's all. It's nice to be around someone who treats me as a normal human being, not as a Queen and not as a freak either."

"Elsa, you're not a freak," said Theobald roughly, looking up at her with anger in his eyes. Seeing the astonished look on her face, he immediately regretted his outburst.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, staring down at the ground. The water she had frozen was now glittering prettily in the twilight. "I can't control my emotions sometimes and I have no filter system. It's just that it pains me to know that there are idiots out there who cannot understand-

"Not everyone can always understand Theobald," said Elsa gently, but she was smiling tentatively now. "I appreciate what you said. It means a lot to me. I think underneath you're a very strong-willed and noble person, you just hide it very well."

Theobald looked up at Elsa with his mouth slightly open.

No one had ever said anything remotely close to that in his entire life. He was the invisible one, the one nobody paid attention to. He had never occurred to him that Elsa had been looking.

His mind had gone completely blank, his eyes merely focusing on the dream-like girl standing in front of him. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to.

"Would you like to see the terrace?" asked Elsa after a beat, heading slowly towards the grand ice staircase.

…..

"Now this is a view," said Theobald, staring at the magnificent mountains which surrounding the ice castle with a permanently surprised look on his face.

"It is, isn't it?" said Elsa, giggling as she observed Theobald walk across the balcony and lean against the barrier.

She felt so happy in that moment, although she couldn't quite understand why.

The sun was dropping now, twilight now changing the color of the castle to that of indigo and darkish blue.

"What does it feel like? Your powers?"

Elsa walked towards Theobald and leaned against the barrier beside him. She glanced across to see that he was staring out across the mountains with a pensive look on his face, his ash brown hair swept up in the evening breeze, covering his grey eyes just a little. She suddenly felt the urge to know what he was thinking about.

"It's difficult to describe…" she began, looking out at the view of her enchanting kingdom. "I was born with my powers, so it would be like asking me what it feels like to have eyes or a nose. It's just always there, simmering away under my skin. I haven't always been able to control it; when I was younger it felt volatile but now it's much more yielding."

After a moment of silence, Theobald replied, his voice nebulous but deep.

"Have you ever wished that you never had it?"

Elsa blinked. Most people never asked her that, for fear that they might come across as rude or condescending. But there was something melancholic about Theobald's voice that she felt like she wanted to answer him as honestly as she could.

"Of course," replied Elsa quietly. "It used to feel like I was constantly trapped. Like it would eventually control me. It can be quite alienating, and I pushed my family away because of it, isolating myself."

Theobald glared at the mountains, which were now hidden under a night sky. They looked ominous now, almost threatening.

"But you didn't in the end," replied Theobald, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. "You succeeded in overcoming it. You didn't let it take over you. You were strong and-"

Theobald realized that he was rambling. He'd also turned to look at Elsa and was now standing way too close to her.

"What's troubling you Theobald?" asked Elsa, reaching up to hold his arm before he had anytime to step away and apologize, as she was sure he was about to do. "Ever since I met you, I've felt that there was tension somewhere… Like something was haunting you…"

Theobald stared down at Elsa in alarm, his vision invaded by her enquiring, beautiful blue eyes.

"It's just that," he stammered, unable to look away. Should he tell her? No, he shouldn't. But as he slowly became lost in her enchanting gaze, he was finding it increasingly difficult to think straight.

Perhaps it was in her best interest to know. He didn't like keeping things from her.

"You must promise that you will tell no one. Nobody can know that you have this knowledge, including my family and your own," said Theobald, his voice surprisingly firm as he lifted his hand calmly and pulled Elsa's hand resolutely away from his arm and stepped back. He had to tell her this with a clear head and he couldn't do it if he was too close to her.

"When you talked about alienating yourself, you reminded me of someone."

Elsa stared at Theobald questioningly. Whatever he was about to tell her, she could tell he was doing at great risk. There was something bigger, something threatening him, haunting him, even here where they were far away from civilization.

"My father," continued Theobald.

"Yes, you mentioned before. I found what you said to be very sad."

"It wasn't always like that, according to my older brothers. It was only after my younger brother, Hans, was born, that he became cold. Threatening. Terrifying."

Theobald turned to face away from Elsa, ashamed. He was finding this extremely difficult. He was putting himself at risk, as well as her. But if there was a possibility that she might marry him, which was what his family wanted; it would serve her well to know what she was getting herself into….

"My mother died giving birth to Hans. My father couldn't get over it. Apparently before he met my mother, he was something of a legend. A mystery. A monster mothers tell their children about at night. But my mother, the only princess of the Southern Isles at the time, changed him. Helped him become a better person. I don't know if that's true, but most of my brothers believe it. All that goodness however, died with her."

"Why would a prince be a monster?" asked Elsa, keeping her distance.

"Because he isn't one."

Elsa felt the air become cold, and soon snow was falling all around them. Theobald was still looking out towards the mountains, refusing to look at her.

How could the King of the Southern Isles not be a prince? He was said to be a prince from a faraway country, a mysterious prince, true, but no one had ever doubted….

"Don't you find it a little strange that no one thought to question who he was?" asked Theobald, his voice dark and cynical. Elsa suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Threatened.

He almost sounded like a different person.

She didn't like it.

"My father posed as a prince and deceived everyone. Maybe my mother's love helped him, I do not know. All I know is that magic does strange things to people, and if you use too much of it, it can consume you. It can make you isolate yourself, turn you into something ugly…"

"Magic?" whispered Elsa.

"Yes," replied Theobald before turning to face her reluctantly. "My father is a warlock."

Elsa took a moment to let the information sink in.

A warlock… Magic…

It shouldn't have surprised her to know that there were others out there like her but… To think that another monarch was like her….

Her eyes widened.

"Hans!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering the night of the ball when Anna first met him.

"No," replied Theobald, somehow reading her thoughts. "Hans has no magical capabilities. Most of my brothers do not have any abilities."

Elsa stared at Theobald with new eyes. This man, as she had feared, was more than just a prince. He was something infinitely more dangerous. She knew, just by the way he was staring at her solemnly, that he had his father's power imbedded within him. That explained the double personality. The strangeness of his behavior. Why he seemed so secretive all the time, a contradiction of many things. It was camouflage. To make himself unassuming. To make sure no one was looking.

Has he been lying to her this entire time? Was he even who he said he was?!

"Why are you telling me this?" she heard herself whisper.

"I told you," replied Theobald, his voice grave. "I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore. I want to be open with you. And you deserve the truth. You need to understand what you're getting into."

"But how could I ever trust you? How do I know that you're not casting spells on me right now?"

Elsa immediately regretted her words as she saw Theobald shirk back. She was doing exactly what she'd feared people would do to her. Look at her as if she were a monster.

Theobald had done nothing to hurt her since coming to Arendelle. He'd exposed himself to her when he easily could have not.

"I'm sorry," stammered Elsa, stumbling towards Theobald. "I didn't mean that-"

"No, it's okay, I'm used to it," replied Theobald, turning his face away.

His words felt like knives. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain he had endured during his life.

"Does your father know?" asked Elsa, gently, slowly reaching her hand out to take Theobald's.

"No," replied Theobald, his voice so faint because he was to busy staring at Elsa as she took his hand into her own. "I didn't want him to take advantage of me, like he did with my other brothers."

"Who else can do magic?" asked Elsa as she stared down at Theobald's hand and started to stroke it with her thumb. His hands were large, but his fingers were long and looked slightly delicate.

"Benedict, the 3rd prince, Frederik, the 10th prince, and apparently the Lost Prince, Casper, could also do magic."

"And no one knows?"

"No one, apart from some of my brothers. There's so many of us so most of us are quite distant from each other," replied Theobald, his voice soft and quiet. He was starting to feel his anxiety rising. "Elsa-

"You must have been very lonely," replied the woman in question. She'd taken both his hands now, and was linking her fingers through his.

"Yes," whispered Theobald, his breathing becoming labored.

Why was she still here? Why wasn't she fleeing? Why wasn't she running to warn her people, or at least be angry that his family had been planning to deceive her? Why was she crying-

Elsa looked up at Theobald with tears in her eyes. She had always wanted to find someone who could understand her. She had felt hints of that from him, almost as if he were a kindred spirit. Somehow he felt different to the others, even her own sister. Now she knew why.

Seeing the anxious look on his face, and the fear ridden in his eyes, she lifted her palm and placed it against his cheek.

"I'm not afraid of you. I don't know why but I'm not. I trust you, and I want you to stay."

Although neither of them noticed, it had stopped snowing.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I don't like this," muttered Anna as she stared somberly out of the window, staring out across the twilight sky. She could just about make out two figures walking slowly around the courtyard below. With her platinum blonde hair, Elsa wasn't very hard to identify, even from this distance. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the man walking next to her was either.

"Huh?"

"I said," said Anna stonily, moving away from the window and turning around to face the other person in the room, "I don't like this. Him being here all the time, sticking to her like a leech."

"Oh," replied Kristoff slowly, recognition finally dawning on him. "You mean Prince Theobald?"

"Of course, who else?" replied Anna, frowning as she observed Kristoff readjust himself and lie back down on her settee. He seemed altogether a little too unconcerned for her taste.

"I thought you liked him," said Kristoff, yawning at the same time.

He'd had quite a day. Climbing up mountains daily wasn't exactly the easiest job in the world.

"I did, initially," replied Anna stiffly before sitting down on the edge of her king size bed. "But he's been here for over a month now, the ball finished over two weeks ago and all the attendants have left, all except him."

"Has it ever occurred to you that they might like each other?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. She could tell from the sound of his voice that he was smirking.

"Of course I have," she replied slowly, her voice dangerously low. "I just don't approve of it."

Kristoff lifted himself upright in order to look at his fiancée.

Fiancée.

He still found it hard to believe that he was going to get married. And to a princess at that.

It was hard at times to connect his Anna to the Princess of Arendelle that everyone else saw. When he had observed the parade, it almost seemed like she was an entirely different person.

Still, he thought to himself, smiling as he looked at his love, looking all cute and angry, he knew that what they had was real.

And that was enough for him.

"It's rare for you to not approve of someone. You always like everyone."

"Yes, but-"

Anna froze. She couldn't work out whether that was a compliment or an insult.

"You should leave soon. You're not supposed to be here. We're not married yet you know."

"Are you afraid that we're going to get caught? It's not like I'm doing anything inappropriate."

"You've got your boots on my settee," replied Anna, her voice monotone.

"What's wrong with Prince Theobald anyway?" asked Kristoff, smirking as he looked at Anna's somber face, trying to divert the conversation to something else. He wanted to kiss her so bad.

"Nothing," replied Anna, standing up and moving hastily towards the window and peering out once more. She could no longer see them.

"I'm just worried about her, that's all," she whispered.

There was something in her voice that made Kristoff uneasy. She wasn't acting like her usual bubbly self. As much as he liked Prince Theobald, if he was causing Anna distress, then that was something he could not abide by.

"Anna," he spoke softly before slowly approaching her from behind. "What's wrong?"

Anna breathed deeply before turning around to face Kristoff. She stared resolutely at his chest, unable to find it within herself to look up at him.

"There's something not right about him… I feel like he's hiding something…"

"He's harmless," replied Kristoff softly, reaching up to rub Anna's arms reassuringly.

"That's precisely my point," said Anna, finally looking up at him. "He's almost too nice, too… pure."

"Maybe that's what Elsa wants," replied Kristoff.

Anna frowned before looking down once more.

"Maybe Elsa is allowing him to stay because she wants to figure him out," tried Kristoff again, his hands now shifting up to Anna's shoulders. "If there is anything fishy going on, I'm sure that she'd prefer it to be right under her nose."

Anna smiled for the first time since their conversation began. It was true; Kristoff had a point.

"Have more faith in your sister Anna, she knows what she'd doing."

Anna looked up at Kristoff and smiled.

"What?" stammered Kristoff, unable to look Anna in the eye. She was making him feel nervous.

"I was just thinking that I would really like to marry you now, right this second."

Kristoff blinked severely times before feeling a massive stupid grin appear on his face.

"Well, I can't marry you just yet, but I can do some other things…"

…..

The light flickered for a moment before a blaze of fire enveloped the center of the golden room, settling down to create a ball of fire almost resembling a miniature sun.

The King of the Southern Isles stood in front of it, staring lazily into the flames. Aside from the ball of fire, the rest of the room was hidden in shadows. He did not like to use so much magic for something as meager as communicating with his offspring, but he had no choice in the matter. It was one of the few ways in which magic would not leave a trace.

"Ferdinand," he spoke slowly, his voice low and cracked. It spoke of age and experience, power but also suffering. "Has there been any development?"

"Yes sir," came the voice of his son, the 5th Prince in line for the throne, his sound echoing off the metallic walls. "Prince Theobald has successfully created a connection with the girl. He has also spoke to her about marriage. She had not yet given an answer it seems, but it is only a matter of time. I have seen for myself that she displays signs of affection for him."

"What sorts of signs?"

"You- Your Majesty?"

The King sighed. He knew from the sound of his son's voice that he was still uncertain. This would not do.

However he was still surprised that Theobald had done as well as he had done in such a short space of time. He had had a hunch…..

Obviously his hunch had been correct.

"He must proceed further if he wishes to be successful. You must pressure him Ferdinand to act quickly. We do not want any other suitors to appear at this point."

"Of course, Your Majesty," replied Ferdinand.

"What of the youngest? Have there been any sightings?"

"No, there have not. We are quite confident that he is not in Arendelle."

"I am not surprised," replied the King. "I did not expect him to return there."

There was a moment of eerie silence where nobody spoke a word. The King could feel his son's unease, even with such a long distance between them.

He smiled. Good. He should be uneasy.

"I would like you to continue to stay in Arendelle, along with your brother. If Theobald shows any signs of deserting….. you know what to do. Your brother is easily replaceable, but it would be a shame. I doubt any of the others would have the same amount of success he miraculously seems to be having."

Without even waiting for a reply, the King proceeded to lift his hands force the air surrounding the ball of fire to escape away, leaving the fire to suffocate into nothing.

"Father."

The King turned around slowly to face his son, the 3rd in line to the throne, Prince Benedict, who was lurking in the shadows. He had been watching the entire procedure.

The King however, did not seem at all surprised.

"Benedict," replied the King before slowly moving up the golden steps to sit on his throne.

"What are we to do about Prince Hans?"

"We keep searching. It would not do to have him disrupt our plans."

"So there is no sign of him anywhere?"

"None. Strange, is it not? Especially for someone with no magical capability."

"Yes," replied Benedict, after a moment, his voice nebulous. "It is strange."

"Do you think he had help?" spoke the King, staring steadily down at Benedict.

"Yes. Theobald helped him escape. Twice."

"That in itself is remarkable," replied the King, staring off now into the distance, as if looking beyond the walls of his throne room.

"Do you think he has the ability?"

Benedict blinked. He had never even considered the possibility before. He was rather surprised that his father would even suggest such a thing.

"I do not think so," replied Benedict. "He has never shown any signs of it."

"Hmm," grunted the King, immediately dismissing the idea. "Of course not. He was always weak, compared to the rest of you. Even weaker than Hans."

"Which was why he was perfect as a candidate for the girl?"

"Yes," replied the King coldly. "But more rather, it would mean that down the road he would be easier to control. Easier to control and manipulate."

"Yes," replied Benedict, feeling a smile creep up on his face. "That he certainly will be."

"Leave me," spoke the King, fatigue now showing within his voice. "I need to rest."

"Of course," replied Benedict before bowing deeply and turning around to leave.

The King had been quick to dismiss the idea of Theobald possessing the skill of sorcery, however Benedict was not so sure. It had never occurred to him before, but there was even an inkling of it being true, it could disrupt his plans. After all, Theobald had set Hans free once, not twice. How he had managed to do so was always dismissed as pure luck, however…

At least Hans' location was still a mystery. Benedict wanted to keep it that way.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

If he ever seemed out of place, nobody commented on it. He had appeared as if out of thin air, a mysterious, bearded man, who seemed to have nothing but the thin rags on his back, the long wooden staff he would frequently use to lean against and a big, black, scruffy-looking dog. He had no name (at least he had never given one) and although the locals had tried their best to figure out where he'd come from and what age he was, they were left just as clueless and nonplussed as they were the first time they noticed him on their sandy coast. For five days they watched the scruffy, dirt covered man from the shadows of their jungle as he started to build a hut from the bits of wood and coconut leaves lying around the beach. He went about his business in a nonchalant manner, as if he wasn't at all concerned that he might be invading somebody else's territory (which he was). After careful observation, the locals came to the conclusion that he was not a threat to them. After a while, they took no notice and acted as if he had always been there. He did not seem to care about them either, and rarely socialized at all.

Nobody questioned him. Nobody talked to him.

Nobody, that is, but the children, who found amusement in spying on him, much to the horror of their elders. For some reason, the strange hermit did not seem to mind them. In fact, he sometimes even spoke to them, much to the amazement of everybody else.

Such was the case on one fine, sunny day when he was busy cutting up firewood. The children had emerged as they often did from the bushes, running and laughing excitedly towards the water. As soon as they noticed 'the hermit', as they liked to call him, they made a beeline towards him, but he knew what they wanted even before they reached him.

"Oi, you boy, come over here!"

One of dark-haired boys froze as if he had seen a ghost before proceeding to sprint towards the hermit, who was sitting on the beach at the water's edge.

"Here," said the strange man gruffly, picking up a makeshift fishing rod and shoving it into the young boy's hands. "You know what to do, go to the river and teach the rest, it'll be easier to catch them there."

The boy beamed down at the hermit before running off to join the others, who all proceeded to ogle at him and attempt to grab the rod from his hands.

"Better that they learn how to survive than spend the rest of their days begging," muttered the man cynically to himself.

Staring into the crystal clear water, he wondered to himself whether it had been wise to talk to the children.

Surely, there was no harm though. None of the people who lived on this island had ever ventured beyond their own shores.

"Brother…."

It was faint but firm, and the hermit recognized it immediately.

He felt his heart sink as he stared into the water, watching reluctantly as the sunshine sparkled perhaps a little too brightly on a particular patch of water, slowly manipulating a small, circular part of it to become unaffected by the tide, as if it were a small pond.

These communications were becoming all too frequent, and the fugitive did not appreciate it. If this kept going, he would have to move far away, to a different location and erase all traces of magic. Again.

Magic…. It disgusted him now, for whenever he thought about it, it reminded him too much of his past.

He did not bother to reply to the voice but chose instead to check his surroundings to make sure the children had left.

The beach was deserted. He was alone.

He sighed in relief just as a voice began to speak, sounding almost as if it were vibrating against the water, desperately trying to escape from underneath the surface.

"Theobald is in trouble."

The hermit closed his eyes. This was not news to him, but nevertheless it pained to hear spoken out loud. It seemed to make the situation even more real.

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the details.

"Yes, I know," he replied heavily, holding the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

"Yo- you know?" came the voice again, this time sounding rather surprised.

The hermit didn't bother to reply.

"In any case," continued the voice hastily, "he needs help."

"Yes, I know."

What followed was an awkward pause, during which only the waves of the sea could be heard. Clearly this hadn't been the response his brother wanted.

When the silence was finally broken, it was the fugitive who spoke.

"It doesn't change the fact that I cannot help him," he said gruffly. "If he needs aid he can turn to you or Frederick."

"You know very well that I cannot do anything from my position, which is why I have contacted you, at risk if I might add!" replied Prince Erik, the current heir to the throne of the Southern Isles. "The situation is extremely delicate, beyond what you could possibly imagine. I think the King is starting to suspect me of not being entirely on his side."

"Well he wouldn't be wrong about that would he, since you're here talking to me," muttered Casper, the "Lost" Prince of the Southern Isles.

"Listen to me brother-"

"Listen to you?!" interrupted Casper, sitting up a little straight and glaring down at the water. "The reason I left that retched place was because I didn't want anything to do with it anymore-"

"Theobald may be our chance!"

His brother spoke hoarsely, but the words forced Casper to stop his train of thought, much to his annoyance.

"What do you mean?" asked Casper slowly after a moment.

"You know exactly what I mean."

He recognized the optimism in his voice of course. As well as the hope. The daring, nervous and yet thrilling energy that takes over when opportunities arise.

But Casper knew better.

"I used to think like you" he started gently, staring hard down at the water, remorse etched on his face. "When I was younger, ignorant, unaware of the consequences of my actions. I don't regret what I did but I realize now that what I had dreamed of was an adolescent boy's fantasy. I will not raise a rebellion Erik. Most people believe that I am dead. I would like to keep it that way."

"But with Theobald on our side, if he succeeds in having the support of the Queen of Arendelle-"

"Then we will be no better than the King of the Southern Isles. I was used as a pawn during my youth. I will not do the same to Theobald."

"If you do not act brother that will be his fate."

There was something true about Erik's words that Casper could not deny. But everyone paid sacrifices in life, including him, despite his quest for freedom. Theobald was a good boy; if he just kept his head down, perhaps he would not have to suffer half the loss and suffering Casper had had to endure in his life.

"Theobald did not seem to even contemplate that things would go that far, that he would have to pay so much for his act of treason," replied Casper, his voice somber as he stared out across the glittering ocean. "I told him to be careful. Becoming a puppet monarch... I feel sorry for him. I truly believe his heart is the purest of all of us. I would hate for him to turn bitter and cold like our father. I warned him about magic, I warned him to not use it so freely. He reminded of our mother so much when I finally met him..."

Erik listened in astonishment as he tried to gather his thoughts. He did not know that Casper had managed to meet Theobald. He did not press on the point but nevertheless he was surprised to hear that Casper knew so much. Although he had never given it much thought, his elder brother was right; Theobald did actually remind him of their mother, who had grey eyes like him. Which made what he was about to tell his closest sibling all the more painful.

"I wish I could do more Erik but I can't. Theobald will have to manage on his own-"

"You clearly don't understand."

The tone in his voice made Casper come out of his nostalgic state.

"Don't understand?" he repeated with unease, fearing his brother's response ever so slightly.

"I overheard him speaking with Benedict the other night. You know how our father is, how dangerous he is. He is always thinking about the future and doesn't care if he has to wait an age in order to exact revenge."

Casper sat up and felt his body tense. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

"What is he going to do," spoke Casper slowly, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Their plan is to eventually kill the Queen. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I am sure that when they do, Theobald will be in danger, especially if he is suspected, which he undoubtedly will be."

"But that's completely absurd. How could they possible succeed? Surely they can see what a great risk it is to even attempt to do such a thing, even with magic. If Theobald were to be suspected and wrongly convicted then they would lose all power over Arendelle anyway. Why would they go to such lengths-"

"You, along with me and Benedict, know exactly why father is obsessed with Arendelle. This isn't just about power. This is personal. Father, I suspect, did not realize that Elsa would be able to succeed in becoming Queen and live prosperously and happily. He sees it as a failure."

Casper at this point was stunned into silence. It was as if a huge weight which he thought he had gotten rid of was suddenly back on his shoulders again, this time however, feeling even more heavier because of all the lives at risk. He had only had to think for himself before. Now it seemed, that was no longer the case.

"Are you certain?" he asked bluntly, staring resolutely down at the water.

"I wouldn't have told you otherwise. As I said, I am speaking to you at great risk. We have to do something before this all escalates. Benedict seems to be the main one helping father, along with Ferdinand and Thomas. God knows about the others, but of course they would side with father."

"Out of fear," replied Casper roughly. "But we might need their aid."

"There were so many of us, and yet only you defied father. It confuses me sometimes… After all, if we had all followed you, then maybe..."

"This isn't about numbers Erik. Do not blame yourself about the past. What is important is that we stop him now," replied Casper, standing up and brushing the sand off his knees. "Is the King still convinced that you are the heir to the throne? Are you still in his favor?"

"Yes."

"Good," replied Casper, taking a deep breath. "Let's keep it that way. But be careful Erik, you have a family after all..."

"That doesn't ma-"

"It does matter Erik," interrupted Casper, smiling wryly as he stared out towards the horizon. There was nothing surrounding the island but miles and miles of Turquoise Ocean. But that was merely a façade. Out there was the world, waiting for him to return to it.

"I have no one, and you're right, I have the upper hand in that nobody knows my whereabouts, let alone that I'm alive."

Erik, who was in a forest up in the mountains of his native country, bent down as he stared into the freshwater river which he had used to create a connection to his brother. He felt the urge to ask his mysterious brother why he had not wished for a family, but he felt like that would be stepping over an invisible line. In all truth, he was not so sure that he knew Casper anymore. But he was his brother, and he was on his side.

"So what will you do?" he asked eagerly.

"I can't tell you. It's for the best."

Erik reluctantly nodded his head as he felt his magic waning. If he were caught, he would be putting everyone in danger. It was better that he didn't know anything.

"When will we speak again?" he asked, feeling sweat drift down his shirt. He should have broken the connection ten minutes ago, but this was important.

"I don't know. Not for a while in any case. I won't do anything rash, that much I can assure you."

"In which case, I will say goodbye for now brother. I wish you all the luck in the world for your journey ahead. And… be careful."

With that, Erik felt the connection break and the water start to run down, as it naturally should have done. He proceeded to collapse onto the grass in exhaustion. He had done his duty, the best he could. Now he would have to keep his head down low until his brother succeeded in helping Theobald.

He wondered what his brother had in mind.


End file.
